Proud parents LeBron and Savannah James beamed Thursday at their eldest son Bronny’s graduation, where the 18-year-old’s girlfriend was mysteriously absent after days of racist online abuse.
Bronny was targeted by bigots on social media after photos surfaced from his prom showing the future USC basketball player next to his white date, 19-year-old Peyton Gelfuso.
Despite the vicious attacks, Bronny ignored his critics on Thursday as he walked across the stage in Chatsworth, California, to receive his diploma.
LeBron and Savannah couldn’t hide their excitement. After the Lakers’ season loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, LeBron was seen grinning from ear to ear with his arms around Bronny and his other son, Bryce. Meanwhile, Savannah, LeBron’s high school sweetheart, was seen having a crush on Bronny while adjusting his dress and sash.
The elder James commemorated the occasion on Instagram, telling Bronny to “keep flying high.”
(From left) Savannah, Bronny, LeBron and Bryce James share a moment at graduation
Savannah James makes sure her son Bronny looks his best as he prepares to take the stage
Proud father LeBron James is seen with his wife Savannah at their son Bronny’s graduation
LeBron’s mom Gloria posted the photo of Bronny looking delighted and pointing at the camera with the caption, “Congratulations grandson!!!! You have always made me very proud of you. And watching you graduate tonight gave me an even greater sense of pride.
“I wish you the best of luck and success in this next chapter of your young adult life.
“Keep spreading your wings and flying to new heights. I love you very much, Grammy.”
The Team James family’s Instagram account also shared two videos of Bronny at the ceremony.
He beamed as he walked across the school’s soccer field and smiled as he walked onto the podium at the ceremony.
Bronny is seen attending Sierra Canyon’s Thursday graduation in Chatsworth
Bronny James grins after receiving his diploma from Sierra Canyon on Thursday
LeBron James’ 18-year-old son, Bronny James, graduated from high school in Sierra Canyon
James beams as he walks on stage at Thursday’s Class of 2023 ceremony
James looks elated as he walks across the soccer field during the special graduation day
The significant moment came days after he adjusted for his prom before playing collegiate basketball next season.
The NBA icon’s eldest son looked smart in an all-black suit to attend the school’s prom in California in photos his mother, Savannah James, shared on Instagram.
The 6-foot-3 guard wore a custom black Chrome Hearts suit and Dior shoes for the occasion.
The jacket sported the custom Chrome Hearts design on the front, back and cuffs with a white on the outer hem of the pants. Bronny opted to go shirtless under the designer jacket.
Bronny appeared to be in attendance with his rumored girlfriend, Peyton Gelfuso, 19, who sparkled in a strapless black satin dress.
Gelfuso, who wore her long, blonde locks in loose curls down her back, previously attended Sierra Canyon High School, according to reports.
The 18-year-old posed with his rumored girlfriend Peyton Gelfuso, 19, who wowed in black
Bronny dresses up for his senior prom on the weekend as he heads to USC for next season
Bronny left his mom “stupid” when she proudly took to Instagram to share photos of her son posing outside the family home, even in front of a black Porsche.
Savannah, who also shares son Bryce, 15, and daughter Zhuri, 8, with LeBron, 38, captioned the “Prom 2023” post, which featured black heart emojis on either side.
Gelfuso appears to split her time between Los Angeles and Dallas as she attends Southern Methodist University (SMU), where she is a member of the Tri Delta sorority, according to her Instagram bio.
Bronny also went to prom with Gelfuso last year, but this year faced vicious racial abuse for bringing a white girl to his prom after sharing photos of the happy couple.
Some people on the internet weren’t happy with his decision to bring someone “fair-skinned” to prom, and social media was soon flooded with a slew of nasty comments about the pairing.
“Not a fair-skinned woman yet,” one person wrote, while another added, “Cub, on the bright side, LeBron has more kids. Maybe they do better.’
“That girl is whiter than white bruh,” someone else said.
A fourth tweet read: “Should have had a black queen like his father,” with an angry face emoji.
“Lost another black king to a money hungry white girl,” another Twitter user tweeted. “Source needs to do better SMH.”
Someone else labeled her a “gold digger” and quoted the lyrics to Kanye West’s song Gold Digger, while others simply shared GIFs and memes to show their disappointment with his choice of date.
The rising star’s mother, Savannah James, shared photos of Bronny posing outside the family home, even in front of a black Porsche, on Instagram
Gelfuso previously attended Sierra Canyon High School where Bronny is a senior
Some people on the internet weren’t happy with his decision to bring someone “fair-skinned” to prom, and they took to Twitter to share their thoughts
Lakers star LeBron has previously expressed his intention to play in the NBA with his son
The 6-foot-3 guard signed his National Letter of Intent last week to attend and play at USC
Bronny, a member of the Sierra Canyon School’s Class of 2023, has already committed to playing basketball at USC next year, where he is expected to be among the top freshman players in the country.
The younger James was listed on 24/7sports.com as a five-star recruit, the fourth best prospect in California, the fifth best combo guard, and the 21st best prospect in the country.
Bronny received scholarship offers from USC, Memphis and Ohio State, while drawing interest from Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and Oregon.
LeBron has previously expressed his intention to play in the NBA alongside his son, but made headlines this week when he alluded to retirement after the Lakers lost in the playoffs.