Salli Richardson-Whitfield. Monica Schipper/Getty Images for BAFTA
LeBron James’ son Bronny James and Salli Richardson-Whitfield’s daughter Parker Whitfield are dating, but that doesn’t mean the actress’ daughter is interested in fame.
Rookie NBA player Bronny, 19, and Richardson-Whitfield’s daughter, Parker, 20 — who both attended Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles — first sparked romance rumors when they were spotted courtside in August to watch LeBron, 39, play in the semifinal game at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
While the couple’s parents are no strangers to the limelight, the attention is new for the Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty director’s daughter. Us Weekly asked Richardson-Whitfield, 56, about how she’s handling the attention now that Parker is dating Bronny, who was drafted to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this year. “My kids have stayed pretty much out of the spotlight because they really weren’t — they’re not interested in it,” Richardson-Whitfield exclusively told Us at the BAFTA North America TV Tea carpet in Los Angeles.
Richardson-Whitfield credits Parker and son Dre’s lack of interest in the entertainment industry to keeping them “level-headed.”
Richardson-Whitfield continued, “The kids are pretty normal because my daughter’s going to Spelman [College]. She’s like, ‘I’m studying economics. I don’t care about this Hollywood stuff.’”
The actress, who shares both children with her husband of 22 years, Dondré Whitfield, also spoke about receiving her first Emmy nomination this year for the Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty — in directing.
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“I always thought I would be here as an actress, but I think that sometimes it takes maybe your second chapter in your life where you find what you’re really supposed to do and where your real passion lies. So I’m just proud, and I’m just excited that people are recognizing the work, the hard work that I’ve put in. That’s really what it’s about. I go, ‘OK, people see me.’”
Even though Richardson-Whitfield was “shocked” to receive her nomination and already felt “like a winner just to be included in the category” (which was won by Shōgun director Frederick E.O. Toye), she was also “hoping” The Gilded Age — which she directed four episodes of its season 1— would also have been nominated this year, too.
Richardson-Whitfield gushed about her time working with The Gilded Age cast, “It’s absolutely so much fun. Obviously, these are two completely different shows, but what I love about Gilded is I have this love of symmetry, and it’s a show that’s really about making it beautiful. So it’s just nice to go back. Like this season, I’m back during the final two episodes, and it’s just nice to lay into all that grandeur and beauty and just suck it all up.”
Reporting by Mariel Turner