Sorry, But You Have To Applaud LeBron James For Saying He'd Miss Lakers Game To Watch Son Bronny's Debut At USC

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LeBron James makes life easy for his haters. Whether it be his appearing to blatantly lie about racist graffiti sprayed on the gate of his mansion, lying about reading books, or turning into a political activist when it fits his agenda, it's not exactly hard for people to root against the guy.

While it's perfectly fine to criticize James for certain things, one thing you absolutely can not knock him for is being a present father for his three children.

His recent explanation that he'll be skipping out on a Lakers game to watch his oldest son Bronny's debut at USC if there is a scheduling conflict proves his family man mindset.

"Looking forward to his first game," James told reporters Thursday. "Whenever he’s cleared and whenever he’s ready to have his first game. I already told my teammates that if they play on the same day we playing, then I’m going to have to catch them next game." 

LeBron James isn't going to miss Bronny James' USC debut. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

Bronny was cleared for a "full return to basketball" on Thursday, roughly four months after suffering from a cardiac arrest during a workout.

LeBron James Setting A Good Example

LeBron and his family as a whole have been through a lot with Bronny's health scare earlier this year. Even if that unfortunate circumstance hadn't presented itself, it's safe to say he'd still do whatever it takes to see his son make his college debut.

LeBron being there for Bronny's debut with the Trojans sends a message to fathers everywhere the importance of being present, especially in monumental moments like that.

There are plenty of grown men out there, many of whom are dads themselves, who idolize James who may be slacking on their fatherly duties, even the simple ones like simply showing up.

If James, a gazillionaire NBA player is willing to miss playing a game for the Lakers for crying out loud, all of the regular dads out there can show up to their son's and daughter's games and activities too.

Follow Mark Harris on X @itismarkharris and email him at mark.harris@outkick.com

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.