Bronny James is missing his girlfriend.
The Los Angeles Lakers rookie is in the middle of his first professional road trip. Los Angeles opened the 2024-25 NBA regular season with two straight games at home. The Lakers topped the Timberwolves in the season opener and then beat the Suns in the second home game of the year. J.J. Redick’s team finished up a three-game stint at home with a win over the Kings. LeBron James and Co. have been on the road since.
Bronny, a rookie out of USC, has been missing his girlfriend, Parker Whitfield.
The Lakers, 4-2 on the season, have been on the road since Oct. 28. Los Angeles has faced Phoenix, Cleveland and Toronto, with road games against Detroit and Memphis remaining. The Lakers will be on the road until Nov. 8 against the Sixers.
Bronny, 20, has been missing his girlfriend in the midst of this two-week road trip.
“I miss my baby,” Bronny wrote in his Instagram Story prior to tipoff against the Pistons on Monday night. “Love u sm.”
Bronny/IG
Bronny James, a four-star recruit coming out of high school, was the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, after averaging less than five points per game at USC. He’s played in three games for the Lakers so far this season, scoring two points on 1 for 4 shooting.
The Lakers rookie and his girlfriend have been rumored to be dating for several months now. They went public at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, attending a U.S. men’s basketball game featuring his dad, LeBron James.
Whitfield, who is the daughter of some Hollywood elites, is currently a sophomore at Spelman College in Atlanta. She attended Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles with Bronny and played on the school’s softball team.
While she’s been happy to see her boyfriend in the NBA, not everyone loves it. Former Lakers great Shaquille O’Neal believes that Bronny James is not ready.
“Would have loved to see him play more. Now this [debut] is over. I think he focuses on getting better…Because of his last name we want him to be great but as LeBron said there are 450 of us [playing in the NBA] and there are only a few rookies that have came in and had a great impact immediately. [I’ve] known the kid a long time,” O’Neal said after his debut.
Most agree that Bronny James would’ve benefited from staying in college for another year or two. However, when your dad is LeBron James and he can force his NBA franchise to draft his son, it’s tough to argue against it.
The Lakers and the Pistons are scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. E.T. on Monday evening.