Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

LeBron James’ Frustration Toward Bronny James Caught on Camera

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ayomide Adeduyite | Last updated Apr 5, 2026 9:54 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers returned to action Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks looking to bounce back from one of their worst performances of the season. Just days earlier, Los Angeles had been blown out by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Entering Sunday’s game, the Lakers were without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, both of whom have been ruled out for the remainder of the regular season, forcing a reshuffle in the backcourt.

As a result, the offense leaned heavily on LeBron James. The 41-year-old delivered early, scoring 22 points in the first half to keep the Lakers competitive after they fell behind by 11 points in the opening quarter. His scoring helped Los Angeles claw back into the game and stabilize what could have quickly turned into another blowout.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23).William Liang-Imagn Images

However, a moment in the third quarter quickly went viral. With just over five minutes remaining and the Lakers trailing by eight, second-year guard Bronny James attempted to connect with his father on a half-court set.

But the pass, delivered as a chest pass, was not what LeBron anticipated. The league’s all-time leading scorer was visibly frustrated by the play and appeared to signal that a bounce pass would have been the correct read in that situation.

LeBron frustrated with his son throwing a chest pass instead of bounce pass pic.twitter.com/fIFr8ewOjy
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 6, 2026

The interaction, captured during NBC’s broadcast, quickly gained traction online. Fans reacted across social media, with many finding humor in the exchange given LeBron and Bronny’s father-son relationship.

Despite the mishap, Bronny responded shortly after by knocking down a corner three-pointer later in the quarter to improve his tally to five points. His effort was not enough, however, as the Lakers lost 134-128 to the Mavericks, despite another 30-point performance by LeBron.

Up next, Los Angeles will return home to face the Thunder on Tuesday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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