LeBron James’ Son Bronny, 16, Follows In Dad’s Footsteps On ‘SI’ Cover With FaZe Clan Members

PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFFERY A. SALTER/SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

Bronny James and some of his fellow FaZe Clan members grace the cover of a new ‘Sports Illustrated’ issue that’s dedicated to e-sports and gaming.

LeBron James is no longer the only member of his family to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated! The NBA star’s 16-year-old son, LeBron “Bronny” James Jr., is on the front of the magazine’s latest issue. Bronny landed on the cover due to his involvement with FaZe Clan, a professional e-sports organization. The teenager joined the organization in summer 2020, and appears on the cover alongside fellow FaZe Clan athlete, Kyler Murray, a 23-year-old football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals.

In addition to the two athletes, three of FaZe Clan’s most popular gamers — Nickmercs, Swagg Rug and Temperr are also on the cover. While some members of FaZe Clan are involved in professional gaming tournaments, there are plenty of people who join for the “non competitive allures of sports and e-sports, like community, entertainment, personality and endless hours of digital and social content,” according to the SI article. Being in FaZe Clan allows athletes like Bronny and Kyle to have some legitimacy in the gaming world, while being able to further extend their brand to new audiences.

The article accompanying Bronny’s Sports Illustrated cover explains the growth of FaZe Clan over the last ten years. The rising basketball star is far from the only athlete who’s involved in the group, either. Ben Simmons has been following FaZe Clan for more than a decade, and basketball stars like Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns are both well-known athlete gamers.

Bronny is LeBron’s oldest son with his wife, Savannah James, who is his high school sweetheart. He was born in 2004 and has been heavily following in his dad’s basketball footsteps. Bronny currently plays for Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles and is a top prospect for college basketball’s 2023 recruiting class.

In addition to Bronny, LeBron and Savannah also have a 13-year-old son named Bryce and a six-year-old daughter named Zhuri. Bronny and Bryce were already born when LeBron proposed to Savannah in 2011 (the two were married in Sept. 2013). Zhuri arrived the following year.