Bronny James has revealed that his Los Angeles Lakers jersey number is a tribute to the late Juice WRLD.
The son of NBA legend LeBron James was selected by the Lakers last week as 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, with the pair becoming the first active father and son duo in the league.
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The 19-year-old was officially introduced as a Lakers player at a press conference on Tuesday (July 2), where he spoke about Juice’s influence on him and how the rapper inspired him to wear number nine.
“Juice has just been a big part of me keeping calm in some situations that I’ve been through,” he said. “So yeah, just paying homage to him, especially ’cause he passed. You know, it’s a really important thing for me.”
"Juice has been a big part of me keeping calm in some situations I've been through."
Bronny James pays homage to the late Juice WRLD by wearing the #9 for LAL 🪽 pic.twitter.com/DxMzMThEPi
— NBA (@NBA) July 2, 2024
Bronny also has a “999” tattoo behind his ear in homage to the Chicago rapper, who has the same tattoo on his body. Known as the angel number, 999 signifies the completion of a cycle and the beginning of a new one.
Juice WRLD (real name Jarad Higgins) passed away on December 8, 2019 after suffering a seizure due to toxic levels of oxycodone and codeine in his system.
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LeBron James celebrated his son Bronny being drafted by the Lakers by posting a photo of him wearing the team’s yellow jersey, soundtracked by Juice’s hit song “Lucid Dreams.”
The younger James also spoke to reporters about being selected by the 17-time NBA champions during the press conference.
“Everything’s just been surreal,” he said. “Just trying to take it all in by the days. I’m extremely grateful for everything that JJ [Redick] and Rob [Pelinka] have given to me. I’ve been extremely excited to get work.”
When asked about the added scrutiny surrounding him playing with his father, Bronny said: “For sure, [playing with him] amplifies the amount of pressure.
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“I’ve already seen it on social media and on the internet and stuff, talking about how I might not deserve an opportunity. But I’ve been dealing with this stuff for my whole life. It’s nothing different.”
He added: “[The pressure] is more amplified for sure, but I can get through it.”
