LeBron James' son Brony James was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers last week and is paying tribute to Juice WRLD with his No. 9 jersey.
James was officially introduced as a Los Angeles Laker at a press conference on Tuesday (July 2) where he explained how the late rapper served as the inspiration behind his jersey number choice.
“Juice has been a big part of me keeping my cool in some situations I've been through. Just paying tribute to him, especially because he passed. It's a very important thing for me.”
The Chicago native has been a mental health advocate and has vulnerably opened up about his struggles with substance abuse, which has helped Broney navigate certain moments of his life with the spotlight on him as the teenage son of one of the greatest to ever play never basketball.
Back in 2022, Bronny acquired Juice WRLD's Tattooed “9 9 9” affirmations on his neck behind his ear. Juice explained to MTV News In 2018, that “9 9 9” represented turning negatives in life into positives, something Bronny struck a chord with James.
“9 9 9 represents taking whatever illness, whatever bad situation, whatever struggle you're going through and turning it into something positive to push yourself forward,” Juice told host Sway Calloway at the time.
Sadly, Juice WRLD's life was tragically cut short at age 21 when he died of an accidental overdose of oxycodone and codeine toxicity following a seizure at Chicago's Midway Airport in December 2019.
Juice burst onto the hip-hop scene in early 2018 with massive anthems like “All Girls Are the Same” and the Sting-featuring “Lucid Dreams.” The latter reached No. 2 on the Hot 100.
LeBron reposts photo of son in Lakers #9 jersey Instagram Story last week with a tribute to the “Robbery” rapper: “999 @Bronny,” he wrote with several fire emojis.
If James' name wasn't enough pressure, Brony will try to carry on the message and legacy of Juice while at No. 9 this season for the Lakers.
Los Angeles selected Brony with the 55th pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft last week to fulfill LeBron's desire to match up with his son as Lakers teammates this season.
Watch Bronny give Juice WRLD his flowers below.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/juice-wrld-bronny-james-lakers-jersey-number-9-1235723877/
