• LeBron James said he doesn’t discuss his NBA career with his kids.
• James explained that while he and his wife and family can give their kids “the blueprint” to being successful, his kids ultimately will have to make their own decisions.
• James also said he believes talking about his career is secondary to being a father.
• Follow all of Business Insider’s NBA All-Star Weekend coverage here >

LeBron James is one of the best basketball players in history, but he doesn’t discuss it much with his kids.

On Saturday, James spoke at Nike’s “Own the Game” exhibit in Charlotte, North Carolina, for All-Star Weekend and explained that he doesn’t talk about his career with his three children because they ultimately will have to find their own way in life.

“I don’t even really talk about my career in front of my kids,” James said to a packed audience at The Mint Museum Uptown. “I think those things are kind of second nature of what it means to be a family man.

“And for me, being a father, I just try to give them life lessons, life goals, things that they can accomplish on their own. I can give them the blueprint, their mother will give them the blueprint, their grandmother’s gonna give them the blueprint and grandfather can give them the blueprint, but at the end of the day, they’re going to have to walk their own path. They’re gonna have to decide what’s best for them.”

James has two sons, LeBron “Bronny” James Jr. and Bryce, and a younger daughter, Zhuri.

Bronny has gained notoriety as a young basketball prospect. He reportedly already has college scholarship offers. James has said he would like to one day play in the NBA at the same time as his son.

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LeBron James confirms his goal is to play in the NBA with his son

James has mentioned before, however, how he wishes to keep his career separate from his kids. He explained on his HBO show “The Shop,” how he wishes he didn’t name Bronny after him.

“I still regret giving my 14-year-old my name because of [the expectations that come with being his son],” James said on the show. “Like, when I was younger I didn’t have a dad. So my whole deal was, when I have a kid, not only is he going to be a junior, I’m gonna do everything that this man didn’t do. They’re going to experience things I didn’t experience. The only thing I can do is give them the blueprint and it’s up to them to take their own course whenever that time comes.”

James said on Saturday at the Nike event that he sees himself in his kids, and, like many parents, gets upset at the mistakes they make before realising he did the same thing at their age.

“Anybody that has kids of their own, you kinda get mad at times when you see your kid doing things, then you remember you did the same thing.”

James said he hopes that when the time comes, he and his family will have done a good job setting his kids up for success.

“Hopefully, myself and my wife and everybody in the family that’s giving them some life lessons throughout the whole time, that when they’re ready to start making their own decisions, they will be perfect.”

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