In fact, the Lakers superstar said in a sit-down interview with ESPN this weekend his teenage boy "doesn't give a f***" about any of the outside noise.

"He doesn't," LBJ said. "Bronny plays. He works his tail off. When he goes home, he plays video games."

The criticism of the younger James, of course, has grown exponentially louder in the last few days ... after the Lakers selected him with the No. 55 overall pick in the NBA draft.

Many have screamed nepotism -- and picked apart his game completely. And, after a four-point (2-for-9 from the floor) Summer League debut on Saturday, the chatter hasn't slowed one bit.

But, according to LeBron, none of it will affect his son -- saying he's totally unlike Dad in that regard.

"I actually cared a little bit when I came in," LeBron said. "I wanted people to like me. Some of the things people were saying about me kind of bothered me early on in my career. I let it get to me."

"He does not care about nobody's -- he doesn't even listen to that stuff," LeBron continued. "He's like the complete opposite of his dad. His dad will say something. Bronny does not care."

LeBron went on to praise Bronny for having the drive to make it this far in his career -- because, as he put it, the former USC star had "all the choices in the world" due to his situation at home.

"I had no choice," LBJ explained. "I had to make it out for me. My mom, my family, my hometown, my city."