LeBron James is the E.F. Hutton of modern basketball: When he speaks, young hoopers listen. That apparently includes when he delivers the tough news that elite middle schoolers probably don’t want to hear: Life isn’t all peaches and cream, and sometimes you don’t get to star on the court.
Here’s LeBron speaking to the North Coast Blue Chips, the AAU squad on which young LeBron “Bronny” James Jr. is a starting point guard:
“If you don’t want a role, play tennis or play golf.”
LeBron speaking facts to his son's team Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.(via @drichtv) pic.twitter.com/3tGK0UDSZT
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 2, 2018
Yes, you heard that right. “If you don’t want (to play) a role, play tennis or play golf. Then you can do whatever the (expletive) you want to do, and you got no one else to blame because it’s only an individual sport.”
That’s not an easy thing to hear for a talented eighth grader, but it might just be the right thing for elite prospects like the ones crowded on the Blue Chips roster to hear.
LeBron doesn’t serve as the team’s primary coach, and that’s to be expected because of his time on NBA courts. Still, he’s apparently the adjunct leader who comes in and delivers the big, important messages. Now we know he does so persuasively, too.