Magic Johnson says Bronny James has the potential to be better than his dad

LeBron James’ son Bronny has already caused a stir in America and there’s every chance he’ll rise to become the best player in his family.

Like father, like son.

Bronny James is heir to his dad’s NBA throne and is every chance of one day succeeding his famous father.

The eldest child of basketball superstar LeBron James even has the potential to be better than the man they call The King, according to NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

The 15-year-old has clearly been blessed with LeBron’s genes and has already been starring in internet highlights tapes and going viral with every fresh dunk for several years now.

Everyone’s expecting the young gun to follow in LeBron’s footsteps and graduate to the NBA and if he does, Johnson believes there’s a possibility the LA Lakers star may end up being the second best player in his family.

“I think so,” Johnson told TMZ when asked if LeBron Jr — aka Bronny — could be even better than his dad.

“You hope so, anyway. Normally what happens is sometimes with all that skill and talent that LeBron has, it passes to his son.

“I think that he has a chance to be unbelievable and either just as good as his dad or a little better. But that’s big shoes to fill though.

“LeBron is playing awesome right now. MVP of league right now.”

Bronny is currently strutting his stuff alongside Zaire Wade — the son of another NBA icon Dwyane Wade — in the most high-profile high school team in America. The pair play for Sierra Canyon and because of their status the school near Los Angeles was given 15 televised matches by ESPN this season.

That’s more airtime than some NBA teams get from the American sports network.

Hordes of spectators have packed into stadiums to see Bronny play in recent times. Thirteen thousand people were given a treat after they rocked up to watch the teenager and Sierra Canyon do battle against LeBron’s former school St Vincent-St Mary earlier this month, as Bronny sealed a dramatic 59-56 win with a steal and lay-up in the final seconds.

Hundreds of members of the media were also in Ohio to watch that match and LeBron has regularly cut an animated courtside figure whenever he gets the chance to cheer for his son.

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Bronny may yet prove he’s the best player in the family.

By now the hype machine over Bronny has well and truly left the station. Videos of his first dunk, when he was 13, have been viewed on YouTube more than 20 million times and he has 3.9 million followers on Instagram.

Trying to manage expectations will be key for the James family and right now it’s trying to squash any talk of how good a player he can be or if he’ll one day make the NBA.

“My son is in the ninth grade; he’s a kid,” LeBron said recently. “We’re not even thinking about anything besides how he can be a great teammate, how he can be a great son, how he can be a great brother to his sister and little brother, how he can continue to be a great kid.”

But if Bronny does have what it takes to make it in the pros, then there remains a slim hope he may share the hardwood with his dad.

LeBron may be 34 but is showing no signs of slowing down in his second season with the Lakers, leading them to the top of the Western Conference as the franchise dreams of a first championship since 2010.

It would seem impossible he would still be around if and when Bronny is eligible for the NBA but has revealed in the past it would be a dream come true to share the stage with his son.

“I would love to see the floor with my son,” LeBron said in 2018.

“That would be an unbelievable moment not only for myself but for my family, for everybody. So we’ll see. Obviously taking care of the body is number one, and we’ll continue to do that.

“That would be pretty dang cool if I were able to be on the NBA floor with my oldest son.”

Bronny has the best teacher imaginable.