In our adolescence, we often don’t understand why our parents embarrass us at the least opportune times. Now, NBA giant and father-of-three LeBron James is realizing he may have been a bit harsh and critical of his own mom earlier in his career. 

During his son’s basketball game, LeBron shared with ESPN that he recently walked back some of his comments toward his mom, Gloria, particularly during his days as an AAU basketball player. As an actively involved parent on the sidelines of his son’s basketball games, the Lakers star admitted that he now sees where his mother was coming from. 


“I had to apologize to my mom because when I was growing up playing AAU ball, my mom used to be one of the loudest people in the stands,” LeBron shared. “I’m talking about going crazy at my opponents, going crazy at the referees, going crazy at my own coach and teammates.”

According to Yahoo Sports, LeBron’s mom even intervened in an almost brawl, involving James, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce during a 2008 match-up between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. 

“I told her [Gloria] to sit down, in some language I shouldn’t have used,” LeBron said after the 2008 game. “Thank God today wasn’t Mother’s Day. All I could think about is her… I know my mother. It’s fine, we’re good.”

More than 10 years later, the three-time NBA Champion said he views his mother’s actions differently now that he’s a father. 

“I used to be like, ‘Mom, you’ve got to sit down. What are you doing mom? You’re embarrassing me,’” he said.

“So, I’ve told her to her face, ‘I apologize.’ I know exactly how it feels to be a parent watching your kid play. So, yeah, I’ve apologized,” he added.

Clutching the title for most supportive sports parents — of course, alongside fellow friends Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union — LeBron and his wife, Savannah, were ecstatic to sit courtside in full support of their eldest son, Bronny, during his game on Saturday night. 

In a faceoff against St. Vincent-St. Mary, LeBron's alma mater, Bronny, who is a freshman, soared on the court. With less than a minute left, he snatched the ball from the opposing team, finessing his defender and securing a victory with an epic critical shot in the final seconds of the game. 

While the James family celebrated, social media praised LeBron and Savannah for blessing their timelines with top-notch supportive parenting goals. 

LeBron, who managed to catch his son’s game in the midst of the Lakers’ east coast matchups, called Bronny’s Saturday night performance “one of the greatest moments of my life so far,” further proving that he really is the GOAT.

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