Bronny James' Girlfriend: Lebron's Son Faced Criticism for Dating Peyton Gelfuso

Bronny James, LeBron James's eldest son, has faced heavy backlash over his choice of companion in recent years, although most of his romantic links have only been rumored. The promising basketball star recently suffered a health scare during training at USC.

In July 2023, news broke that Bronny James had suffered cardiac arrest during basketball training at the University of Southern California. The institution's medical staff acted quickly to treat him before taking him to the hospital.

He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit but left after his condition stabilized. His parents expressed their deepest gratitude to USC for caring for their son. Bronny James is a freshman at USC, currently playing for the school's basketball team.

The youngster, who likely would've died without immediate treatment, showed remarkable commitment to the sport in high school as he focused on playing in college. As the son of a basketball legend (one of three siblings) making his name, Bronny developed a prominent social media presence.

Millions of fans have followed his life online; however, the 19-year-old has faced heavy scrutiny over his love life. He received severe backlash for dating white girls, although most of these romantic links have never been addressed.

Bronny James Took Peyton Gelfuso to His First Prom: Netizens Were Dissatisfied

Peyton Gelfuso attended Sierra Canyon School alongside Bronny. She was a year ahead of him, but the two are said to be in a romantic relationship. Like Bronny, Peyton was an athlete, participating in soccer, volleyball, and tennis in school.

The influencer graduated in 2022 and enrolled at Southern Methodist University. In May of that year, she had attended her prom with Bronny as her date. Bronny shared photos of the special event in a now-deleted Instagram post, and the two looked stunning in their evening attire.

Almost immediately, trolls took to social media to express their disdain over Bronny taking a white young lady instead of a young woman of color, particularly a Black girl, as his date. Others even accused Peyton of being after Bronny's wealth status, calling her a "gold digger."

Bronny James and Peyton Gelfuso Subjected to Scrutiny Again in 2023

The rumored young lovers were subjected to the same scrutiny again in May 2023, with Peyton flying back to Los Angeles to be Bronny's date for his senior prom. Neither shared photos from their night together, but a photo of them posing together emerged and went viral online.

The hate comments rolled in, although some defended Bronny, saying love saw no color. Bronny never addressed the backlash, but a source close to his family shared, "He wants Peyton to feel protected, and he worries more about her well-being than focusing on trolls and their antics."

Bronny James Was Linked to Two Influencers in 2020

In November 2020, Bronny was linked to an Instagram model named Isabella — his dad was also linked to an Instagram model that year. A Twitter user shared a screenshot of one of Isabella's Instagram posts showing that Bronny liked it.

This was after a short hiatus from social media after he was seen smoking on an Instagram live stream. Fans assumed his parents, LeBron James and Savannah James, had grounded him. The rumors of his romance with Isabella remained unaddressed.

In September 2020, Bronny appeared in a TikTok video with a fashion model named Peyton Sama. The clip went viral on social media and garnered the same racial backlash, as fans assumed the two were dating and were disappointed Bronny had chosen a white girl instead of someone of color.