LeBron James Says Jaylen Brown Relationship Has Been Respectful Besides 'S--t He Said About Bronny'

LeBron James has plenty of respect for Jaylen Brown, though he hasn't forgotten Brown's alleged critiques of his son, Bronny James, during the 2024 Summer League.

"Our relationship has been pretty respectful," James said of Brown following Boston's 111-89 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. "Besides the s--t he said about Bronny at Summer League. But other than that, we've been alright."

"We'll be alright," a smiling James added several times after being asked if he and Brown had moved past that situation.

In July 2024, Brown was sitting courtside during the Summer League and appeared to say to WNBA players Kysre Gondrezick and Angel Reese, "I don't think Bronny is a pro."

The moment went viral, leading to a Brown response that felt like neither a denial of the speculated comments nor an apology:

"I think he went on social media and said something about it," James acknowledged Sunday. "So it's all good. Bronny's got a long way to go, but that's a different story."

James also noted that he believes Brown should be in the MVP conversation.

"JB is playing great basketball," he said. "This whole MVP thing, I don't understand why his name isn't getting talked about as well. Like nobody gave him a shot at the start of the season. And he's averaging, what, just under 30 [points per game]? Yeah, it's a popularity contest sometimes."

Brown, 29, is averaging 29.2 points, seven rebounds and 4.8 assists per game this season. He's led Boston to a surprising 37-19 record despite Jayson Tatum's ongoing recovery from a torn Achilles. He deserves to at least be in the MVP conversation, though Nikola Jokić averaging a triple-double for the season (28.6 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 10.5 APG) might be tough to beat.

Either way, James respects his game, even if he hasn't forgotten about the Bronny comments.