Proud parents LeBron and Savannah James were seen beaming at their eldest son Bronny’s graduation on Thursday, where the 18-year-old’s girlfriend was mysteriously absent following days of racist online abuse.
Bronny was targeted by bigots on social media after photos from his senior prom surfaced, showing the future USC basketball player alongside his white date, 19-year-old Peyton Gelfuso.
Despite the vile attacks, Bronny ignored his critics on Thursday, as he walked across the stage in Chatsworth, California to receive his diploma.
LeBron and Savannah couldn’t hide their excitement. Coming off the Lakers’ season-ending loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, LeBron was seen grinning from ear to ear with his arms around Bronny and his other son, Bryce. Meanwhile Savannah, LeBron’s high school sweetheart, was seen doting on Bronny while adjusting his gown and sash.
The elder James commemorated the occasion on Instagram, telling Bronny to ‘continue to fly high.
Proud father LeBron James is seen alongside wife Savannah at their son Bronny’s graduation
LeBron’s mom Gloria posted the photo of Bronny looking delighted and pointing to the camera with the caption: ‘Congratulations grandson!!!! You’ve always made me very proud of you. And seeing you graduate tonight, just made me feel an even bigger sense of pride.
‘I wish you the most happiness and success in this next chapter of your young adult life.
‘Continue to spread your wings and soar to new heights. Love you very much, Grammy.’
The Team James family Instagram account also shared two videos of Bronny at the ceremony.
He was beaming as he walked across the school football field and smiled as he walked on stage during the ceremony.
Bronny James graduates high school and will attend USC
James looks delighted as he walks across the football field during the special graduation day
The important moment came days after he suited up for his senior prom ahead of playing collegiate basketball next season.
The eldest son of the NBA icon looked dapper in an all black suit to attend the school’s prom in California in photos shared by his mom, Savannah James, on Instagram.
The 6-foot-3 guard donned a custom black Chrome Hearts suit and Dior shoes for the occasion.
The jacket sported Chrome Hearts’ custom hearts design on the front, back and cuffs with a white one on the outer seam of the pants. Bronny opted to go shirtless underneath the designer jacket.
Bronny appeared to attend with his rumored girlfriend, Peyton Gelfuso, 19, who dazzled in a strapless, black satin dress.
Gelfuso, who wore her long, blonde tresses in loose curls down her back, previously attended Sierra Canyon High School, according to reports.
Bronny suited up for his senior prom at the weekend as he heads to USC for next season
Bronny left his mom ‘lost for words’ as she proudly took to Instagram to share photos of her son posing outside the family home, even in front of a black Porsche.
Savannah, who also shares son Bryce, 15, and daughter Zhuri, 8, with LeBron, 38, captioned the post, ‘Prom 2023,’ with black heart emojis either side.
Gelfuso appears to split her time between Los Angeles and Dallas as she attends Southern Methodist University (SMU), where she is a member of the Tri Delta sorority, according to her Instagram bio.
Last year, Bronny also attended prom with Gelfuso, but faced vile racist abuse this year for taking a white girl to his high school prom after sharing images of the happy couple.
Some people on the internet were not happy with his decision to take someone who is ‘light skinned’ to prom, and social media was soon flooded with a slew of nasty comments about the pairing.
‘Not a light skinned woman already,’ wrote one person, while another added, ‘Welp, on the bright side, LeBron has more kids. Maybe they will do better.’
‘That girl is whiter than white bruh,’ said someone else.
A fourth tweet read, ‘Should’ve got a black queen like his dad,’ with an angry face emoji.
‘Lost another black king to a money hungry white girl,’ a different Twitter user tweeted. ‘Bron gotta do better SMH.’
Someone else branded her a ‘gold digger,’ quoting the lyrics from the song Gold Digger by Kanye West, while others simply shared GIFs and memes showcasing their disappointment in his choice of date.
The 6-foot-3 guard signed his National Letter of Intent to attend and play at USC last week
A member of the Sierra Canyon School’s Class of 2023, Bronny has already committed to playing basketball at USC next year, where he is projected to be among the top freshman players in the country.
The younger James was listed on 24/7sports.com as a five-star recruit, the fourth best prospect in California, the fifth best combo guard, and the 21st best prospect in the country.
Bronny received scholarship offers from USC, Memphis, and Ohio State while drawing interest from Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Oregon.
LeBron has previously stated his intention to play alongside his son in the NBA but made headlines this week as he hinted at retirement after the Lakers lost in the playoffs.
