Bronny James and Parker Whitfield are going strong!
As the Los Angeles Lakers rookie, 20, settles into his first season in the NBA, Bronny admitted he’s still adjusting to the time away from home — and away from Whitfield, 20.
On Monday, Nov. 4, just hours before the Lakers play the Detroit Pistons in Michigan, Bronny posted a sweet tribute to his girlfriend as he hits the road with his dad, superstar LeBron James, and the Lakers.
“I miss my baby,” Bronny wrote in his Story over a sweet photo of the couple at Disneyland Paris. “Love u sm,” the NBA rookie, who was drafted to Los Angeles in June as the 55th overall pick after one season at USC, added.
Whitfield and the Lakers rookie were first rumored to be an item after being spotted together during the Paris Olympics on Aug. 7, as they supported LeBron, 39, and Team USA Basketball at their quarterfinal versus Brazil, and again during the semifinal game against Team Serbia.
Bronny’s younger brother Bryce James was also sitting courtside with the couple in Paris.
As they departed the Bercy Arena after the U.S.’s win, Bronny and Whitfield were spotted holding hands while they walked the streets of Paris together.
The rumored couple made things Instagram official when Whitfield posted a tribute to Bronny on Oct. 3 in celebration of National Boyfriend Day. “Bf day! i love you! @bronny,” Whitfield wrote on Instagram, alongside another photo of the couple at a Disney park.
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Whitfield, currently a sophomore at Spelman College in Atlanta, attended Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles with Bronny where he played basketball and she was part of the softball team.
Bronny’s debut in the NBA came with criticism from some former players — including former Lakers star Shaquille O’Neal.
On Oct. 22, O’Neal and his Inside the NBA co-host Charles Barkley questioned whether or not Bronny was ready to play in the pro-league. “He’s not ready to play in the NBA right now,” Barkley said on the show. “He should be in the G League, because he’s not ready to play in the NBA first and foremost.”
O’Neal added, “Would have loved to see him play more. Now this [debut] is over. I think he focuses on getting better…Because of his last name we want him to be great but as LeBron said there are 450 of us [playing in the NBA] and there are only a few rookies that have came in and had a great impact immediately. [I’ve] known the kid a long time.”
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