Bronny James did not pick the No. 9 jersey to honor former Los Angeles Lakers star Nick Van Exel. While the former All-Star guard has already given his blessing to Bronny — which is something the 19-year-old surely appreciated — there’s an entirely different reason as to why LeBron James’ son picked the No. 9.
It’s pretty tragic, too.
Los Angeles Lakers News: Bronny James Reveals Truth Behind No. 9 Jersey
Speaking during Tuesday’s rookie press conference, Bronny revealed that he picked the No. 9 to honor the late rapper Juice WRLD:
“Juice has just been a big part of me keeping calm in situations that I’ve been through,” he said. “So yeah, just paying homage to him especially because he passed is a really important thing to me.”
Bronny explains why he picked No. 9 to honor Juice WRLD 🙏 pic.twitter.com/RoCGmO0mPd
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 2, 2024
It is clear that the fallen hip-hop star has had a tremendous impact on Bronny’s life, especially during his developmental years.
Juice, who was affiliated with the No. 9 throughout his career, passed away in December 2019. This was after law enforcement officials boarded his plane at the Midway International Airport in Chicago under suspicion of drugs and firearms possession.
Juice reportedly swallowed multiple pills to hide them from the police during the surprise inspection, which led to a convulsion and a seizure. The 21-year-old was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.
It was later determined that the cause of death was acute oxycodone and codeine intoxication or in layman’s terms, a drug overdose.
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