LeBron James' son Bronny, 18, determined to 'rise above' racist trolls

05/27/2023

EXCLUSIVE: LeBron James’ 18-year-old son Bronny is refusing to let racist trolls bring him down and is focusing on ‘protecting his girlfriend’ and future at USC – as his family rallies around him in wake of vile prom abuse

LeBron’s son Bronny took rumored girlfriend Peyton Gelfuso, 19, to prom
But the pair was subjected to vile racist abuse due to her skin color
A source said ‘thick-skinned’ Bronny isn’t going to let hate come between them

LeBron James’ 18-year-old son, Bronny, was subjected to a slew of vile racist abuse after he took a white woman as his date to prom, but sources have now revealed that the ‘thick-skinned’ teen is determined to ‘rise above’ the haters – and only cares about ‘protecting his girlfriend.’

LeBron Raymone ‘Bronny’ James Jr. – the eldest son of the basketball legend – attended the school dance with his rumored partner of more than a year, 19-year-old Peyton Gelfuso, over the weekend.

When a photo of them posing together at the event emerged online, the couple received a series of ugly comments from people criticizing the budding basketball star for bringing someone who was light skinned.

Now, someone close to the family has dished on how Bronny has reacted to the nasty messages, and according to the insider, he’s not letting them ‘get under his skin.’

LeBron James’ 18-year-old son, Bronny, was subjected to a slew of vile racist abuse after he took a white woman as his date to prom

But sources have now revealed that the ‘thick-skinned’ teen (seen with his dad in 2019) is determined to ‘rise above’ the haters – and only cares about ‘protecting his girlfriend’

When LeBron Raymone ‘Bronny’ James Jr. (seen at prom) attended the school dance with his rumored partner, 19-year-old Peyton Gelfuso, they received a series of ugly comments

Now, someone close to the family has dished on how Bronny has reacted to the nasty messages. He is seen posing in front of a Porsche ahead of prom

They explained exclusively to DailyMail.com that he’s had a ‘target on his back for a long time’ as he’s the son of a high-profile sports star, which allowed him to form a ‘thick skin.’

‘Bronny has had a target on his back for such a long time. Being the son of LeBron James is not easy,’ the source dished.

‘The comparisons and criticisms that have come his way and will come his way can be stressful, but he seems to rise above them most of the time.

‘Bronny has a future in the NBA, and he is well aware of the shadow his dad has cast on him.

‘He is just trying to get through it one day at a time and not allow anyone to get under his skin.’

The six-foot-three guard and the blonde beauty met at Sierra Canyon School, where he’s currently a senior and she graduated from last year.

She’s now attending Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, but made sure to fly back to LA to be by Bronny’s side at prom.

Following the event, unkind people on the web started accusing her of using Bronny for money and only dating him for his famous father. Others called LeBron’s son ‘shameful’ and ‘disappointing’ for not ‘choosing a black queen.’

People on the web accused her of using Bronny for money and only dating him for his famous father. Others called Bronny ‘shameful’ and ‘disappointing’ for not ‘choosing a black queen’

Some people did come to the pair’s defense, with one person writing: ‘Y’all are too old to be in Bronny’s business. Let him date whoever he wants to’

The insider explained that while the family ‘doesn’t condone racism in any way, shape, or form,’ Bronny – who recently announced his commitment to play at University of Southern California next year – is more focused on his career than dealing with nasty trolls.

‘The main focus right now for Bronny and his family is all the preparations for him to be ready to start going to USC, and to play college basketball there,’ they continued.

‘There is a lot on his plate to handle but [he’s seen] how his dad has been able to handle a similar trajectory in his career.

‘Bronny has been taught well to handle criticism and handle hard times. He sees what his dad has to go through and that is a quick reminder on how to react to things that come his way that might be negative.’

While the 18-year-old, who has racked up more than seven million followers on Instagram, has gained a ‘thick skin’ over the years, the source said he was ‘worried’ about how it might affect Peyton. However, he has no plans to let the backlash come between them.

‘He wants Peyton to feel protected and he worries more about her well-being than focusing on trolls and their antics,’ the source said.

‘But Bronny is not going to allow the racist thoughts of people to determine how he is going to run his life.

‘The main focus right now for Bronny and his family is all the preparations for him to be ready for USC, and to play college basketball there,’ the source said. He’s seen with his mom

While the 18-year-old has gained a ‘thick skin’ over the years, the source said he was ‘worried’ about how it might affect Peyton. However, he won’t let the backlash come between them

‘He wants Peyton to feel protected and he worries about her well-being,’ the source added. ‘But he’s not going to allow racist people determine how he is going to run his life’

The six-foot-three guard and the blonde beauty met at Sierra Canyon School, where he’s currently a senior and she graduated from last year. They are seen at prom last year

‘He surrounds himself with great people and when he is with those people, be it at a prom or something else, he is not going to allow the other people in his life to be taken aback or to feel down on themselves by it.

She’s now attending Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, but made sure to fly back to LA to be by Bronny’s side at prom

‘Bronny is much wiser than his 18 years might show. And that strength takes over so they don’t have to worry about a select few idiots that try to bring him down. Bronny feels he is in good shape for a bright future.’

Last year, Bronny attended Peyton’s senior prom as her date, and the rumored couple was put into a similar situation.

At the time, Peyton posted numerous snaps with the athlete to her Instagram, but within minutes, the hate comments started to pour in.

This time, neither of them shared any pictures together on their public accounts. One snap of them at the prom has been making its way around the web – but it’s unclear where it came from.

Both of Bronny’s parents LeBron, 38, and his 36-year-old wife, Savannah, uploaded a carousel of photos of their son at his prom, but none of the images had Peyton in them – likely due to the immense recoil from the year before.

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