Despite some early rumors to the contrary, LeBron James has had a pretty spectacular postseason, at least after some missed free throws against the Pacers were put in the past. Some of that success can be chalked up to the self-appointed King's perseverance.
It turns out that James will have to hope that enduring self-confidence runs in the family, after his 7-year-old son, LeBron Jr., was completely crossed up while playing in a star-studded youth pickup game earlier in May.
As first seen on ScoutsFocus, LeBron Jr. had plenty of fine moments while playing against 8- and 9-year-old competition, but suffered one major setback when he was totally bamboozled by a wicked crossover from 9-year-old Jalen Smith, as you can see in the video above.
It's not that LeBron Jr. isn't a good young player. Far from it; for a 7-year-old, his skills are pretty outstanding. In this case, Smith was simply much better (which may not be a surprise, considering the fact that he's two years older).
Yes, LeBron Jr. is only 7, and Smith is only 9. Comfortingly, their young age will probably result in this: A) LeBron Jr. quickly putting falling on his butt in front of a crowd in his past, and B) keep Smith from getting too excited about pulling off the best move of his young career against the son of an NBA legend.
Then again, Smith may not have been awestruck by James Jr.'s lineage in part because he comes from similar stock. Both of Smith's parents were professional hoopsters — his father, Dwayne Smith, played professionally in Luxembourg and Estonia after a successful career at Florida Division II powerhouse Eckerd College, while his mother Felicia is the school's all-time leading scorer and was a Division II All-American.
Clearly, Smith got his silky handles from somewhere, and he seems primed for potential greatness in the future, provided he decides he's still interested in basketball in the years ahead.
Perhaps two years from now the same can be said for LeBron James Jr. After all, he's only 7, and any 7-year-old who can reliably hit layups and handle the ball in traffic has a lot going for him, even before his genes dictate that he should end up being one heck of a physical specimen.
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