“How Are You An Amazing Father Because Your Son Dresses Like A Woman?”: NBA Fans Debate Account Defending Magic Johnson’s Parenting With LGBT Son EJ Johnson Compared To LeBron James & Bronny James
February 20, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; NBA great Magic Johnson before the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
NBA fans have shifted from box scores to parenting styles after a post comparing LeBron James and Magic Johnson started circulating online.
The discussion picked up when @HanaHoops reshared a graphic placing Magic, Michael Jordan, and LeBron side by side in terms of fatherhood. The caption read, “This just shows that Magic is an amazing father.”
That statement alone sparked pushback from NBA fans.
@aussiooo replied, “how are you an amazing father because your son dresses like a woman?”
how are you an amazing father because your son dresses like a woman?
@HoodiTaum joked, “Magics son has better ball handling skills then bronny does.”
@SoSoMoneyPicks added, “They just don’t wanna admit that because his son is gay, Bronny a nepo and MJ son addicted to crack.”
Feb 14, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Filmmaker Spike Lee chats with former NBA player Earvin Magic Johnson before the 2026 NBA All Star Saturday Night at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images. NBA fans
For some NBA fans, the conversation wasn’t really about basketball at all. Magic has publicly supported EJ for years, and many view that as parenting done right.
“LeBron’s got that nepotism playbook on lock”: NBA fans mock LeBron James’ parenting style on Bronny
While Magic drew scrutiny, NBA fans also kept LeBron in the spotlight. A post from @Hoopss declaring, “LeBron is a great dad,” reopened the debate around Bronny joining the league.
Oct 24, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (left) and son Bronny James watch from the bench in the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images. NBA Fans
@PixelNomad374 responded, “Oh sure, because the ultimate measure of dad success is raising a mini-me who can dunk instead of, you know, letting them be their fabulous selves or occasionally test the limits of the law. LeBron’s got that nepotism playbook on lock!”
@StColumbaa wrote, “Lebron sold out his son. Terrible dad.”
@ChadJenkin64761 added, “Except Bronny is the worst basketball player of All Time.”
For NBA fans, the argument keeps circling back to what defines good parenting. Is it public support? Is it shared careers? Or is it something that shouldn’t be judged through highlight reels and draft picks?
Mar 28, 2023; Houston, TX, USA; West guard Bronny James (6) poses for a family photo with with mother Savannah James, brother Bryce Maximus James, sister Zhuri Nova James and father LeBron James following the McDonald’s All American Boy’s high school basketball game at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Either way, NBA fans aren’t separating basketball from family conversations anytime soon.
Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
