LeBron James isn’t just an amazing basketball player. He’s also an amazing sports parent.
The Los Angeles Lakers star and future Hall of Famer posted a video Wednesday on Instagram in which he offers his 11-year-old son, Bryce, words of encouragement following a youth basketball game.
“After my guy Bryce and his team came back to win a game they had no business winning I had a few words for him going forward,” James wrote, along with the hashtags #PayitForward and #JamesGang.
In the video, James wastes no time in letting his son know that, while Bryce may not have scored as many points as he would have liked, he did plenty to help his team win.
“You get too down on yourself for no reason,” the four-time MVP says.
“You made three of the biggest plays of the game,” he adds, before outlining how Bryce snagged an offensive rebound, made a key outlet pass and fired another pass for the game-winning bucket.
“If you (sic) missing shots or making shots, don't worry about it, kid,” James continues. “You played a hell of a game. You ain’t gotta worry about making shots or missing shots.
“Good job. I'm proud of you,” he concludes.
James’ assessment looks like it had a positive impact — you can see Bryce smile after his dad recounts his three big plays.
Remaining upbeat and optimistic with kids on the field of play may sometimes be lost in a world where pushy sports parents lurk all the time, but James' comments serve as an important reminder that moms and dads — even if they're among the greatest basketball players of all time — would be wise to support their children instead of scolding their performances.