LeBron James’ son Bronny, 18, determined to ‘rise above’ racist trolls and ‘protect girlfriend’
LeBron James’s 18-year-old son, Bronny, was subjected to a slew of vicious racist abuse after he brought a white woman to prom as his date, but sources have now revealed that the thick-skinned teen is determined to ‘above ‘the haters’ rise – and only cares about ‘protecting his girlfriend’.
LeBron Raymone ‘Bronny’ James Jr. — the eldest son of the basketball legend — attended the school dance with his rumored partner of more than a year, 19-year-old Peyton Gelfuso, over the weekend.
When a photo of them posing together at the event surfaced online, the pair received a string of nasty comments from people criticizing the budding basketball star for bringing someone fair-skinned.
Now someone close to the family has revealed how Bronny has reacted to the dire reports, and according to the insider, he is not letting them “get under his skin.”
LeBron James’s 18-year-old son, Bronny, was subjected to a slew of vile racist abuse after he took a white woman to prom
But sources have now revealed that the ‘thick-skinned’ teen (seen with his dad in 2019) is determined to ‘rise above’ the haters – and only cares about ‘protecting his girlfriend’
When LeBron Raymone “Bronny” James Jr. (seen at prom) attended prom with his alleged partner, 19-year-old Peyton Gelfuso, they received a series of nasty remarks
Now someone close to the family has presented how Bronny reacted to the nasty messages. He is seen posing in front of a Porsche prior to the prom
They explained exclusively to DailyMail.com that he had “a long time target on his back” as he is the son of a high profile sports star, which allowed him to form a “thick skin”.
“Bronny has had a target on his back for so long. Being the son of LeBron James isn’t easy,” the source said.
“The comparisons and criticism that have come his way and will come can be stressful, but he usually seems to rise above it.
Bronny has a future in the NBA and he is well aware of the shadow his father has cast over him.
“He’s trying to get through it day by day and not let anyone get under his skin.”
The six-foot guard and the blonde beauty met at Sierra Canyon School, where he is currently a senior and where she graduated last year.
She now attends Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, but made sure to fly back to LA to be next to Bronny at prom.
After the event, unkind people on the internet started accusing her of using Bronny for money and only dating him for his famous dad. Others called LeBron’s son “shameful” and “disappointing” for “not choosing a black lady.”
People on the internet accused her of using Bronny for money and only dating him for his famous father. Others called Bronny ‘shameful’ and ‘disappointing’ for not ‘picking a black queen’
Some people defended the couple, with one person writing, “You’re all too old to be in Bronny’s business.” Let him date whoever he wants’
The insider explained that while the family “does not condone racism in any way, shape, or form,” Bronny — who recently announced his commitment to play at the University of Southern California next year — is more focused on his career than dealing with nasty trolls.
The insider explained that while the family “does not condone racism in any way, shape, or form,” Bronny — who recently announced his commitment to play at the University of Southern California next year — is more focused on his career than dealing with nasty trolls
“The main focus right now for Bronny and his family is all the preparations for him to be ready to go to USC and play college basketball there,” they continued.
“There’s a lot on his plate to process, but [he’s seen] how his father was able to handle a similar trajectory in his career.
“Bronny has learned to deal with criticism and difficult times. He sees what his dad must be going through and that’s a quick reminder of how to react to things that come his way that could be negative.”
While the 18-year-old, who has amassed more than seven million followers on Instagram, has grown “thick-skinned” over the years, the source said he was “worried” about the consequences for Peyton. However, he is not about to let the backlash come between them.
“He wants Peyton to feel protected and he’s more concerned about her well-being than trolls and their antics,” the source said.
But Bronny isn’t going to let people’s racist thoughts dictate how he’s going to live his life.
“The main focus for Bronny and his family right now is all the preparations for him to get ready for USC and play college basketball there,” the source said. He has seen with his mother
While the 18-year-old has grown “thick skinned” over the years, the source said he was “concerned” about how it would affect Peyton. However, he doesn’t let the backlash come between them
“He wants Peyton to feel protected and is concerned about her well-being,” the source said. “But he’s not going to let racist people dictate how he organizes his life”
The six-foot guard and the blonde beauty met at Sierra Canyon School, where he is currently a senior and where she graduated last year. They were seen at the prom last year
“He surrounds himself with great people and when he’s with those people, whether it’s at a ball or something else, he’s not going to allow the other people in his life to be taken by surprise or feel down because of it.”
She now attends Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, but made sure to fly back to LA to be by Bronny’s side at prom
“Bronny is much wiser than his 18 years show. And that power takes over so they don’t have to worry about a select few idiots trying to take him down. Bronny feels he is in good shape for a bright future.”
Last year, Bronny attended Peyton’s prom as her date, and the rumored couple were put in a similar predicament.
At the time, Peyton posted numerous snaps with the athlete on her Instagram, but within minutes the hate comments started pouring in.
This time neither of them have shared photos together on their public accounts. A photo of them at the prom has made its way around the internet, but it’s unclear where it came from.
Both of Bronny’s parents, LeBron, 38, and his 36-year-old wife, Savannah, uploaded a carousel of photos of their son at his prom, but none of the images had Peyton in them — likely due to the massive backlash from the year before.