Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has stated that he wants to play with his son Bronny in the NBA, but spoke about whether it is actually possible.
There was some huge college basketball news that broke on Saturday, and involved Bronny James, the oldest son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. The Sierra Canyon High School senior announced on his Instagram account that he is committing to play for the USC Trojans basketball program. With that, he will be a couple of miles down the road from the Lakers’ home arena. Hours after Bronny made his commitment to USC, LeBron helped the Lakers take a 2-1 series lead over the Golden State Warriors with a 127-97 victory.
After the game, LeBron spoke about Bronny’s commitment, expressing how proud he was for becoming the first member of the James family to go to college. LeBron was then asked about potentially playing with Bronny in the NBA, which he has openly expressed as a goal of his before he officially retires. The Lakers star has since tempered the expectations from fans wanting to see the father-son duo on an NBA team.
The video comes courtesy of Arash Markazi of the Sporting Tribune.
LeBron James tempers expectations of playing on same team as his son Bronny
“I’m still serious about it,” James said, h/t CBS Sports. “Obviously I’ve gotta continue to keep my body and my mind fresh. I think my mind most importantly, if my mind goes, then my body will just go ‘okay, what are we doing?’ But at the end of the day, if I am, if I’m not, I’ve done what I have to do in this league. My son is gonna take his journey. Whatever his journey is, however his journey lays out, he’s gonna do what’s best for him, and as his dad, his mom Savanah, his brother and sister, we’re gonna support him in whatever he decides to do. Just because it’s my aspiration and my goal doesn’t mean it’s his. I’m absolutely okay with that. My job is to support my son in whatever he wants to do.”
Once he enrolls at USC, Bronny will be eligible to declare for the NBA Draft in 2024 at the earliest as part of the one-and-done rule imposed by the league. No longer can players out of high school immediately declare for the NBA.
Bronny, a McDonald’s All-American this past season, narrowed down his choices to USC, Oregon and Ohio State. On3 Sports’ Recruiting Prediction Machine had USC as the 72.3-percent favorites, while Ohio State had 27.5-percent odds.
As for LeBron, he signed a two-year, $97.1 million contract extension with the Lakers prior to this season. LeBron will be under contract for the 2023-24 season, and has a player option for the 2024-25 campaign.
While LeBron and Bronny teaming up together would be quite the story, the Lakers star stresseed that this is his son’s journey, and he supports whatever decision he makes.