With the Los Angeles Lakers having crashed out of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, all eyes are on LeBron James and his future, both in the NBA and with the Lakers. James has made it clear in the past he wants to play alongside his son, Bronny James, in the NBA if he has the opportunity to do so, and with a player option in his deal, and Bronny potentially making the jump to the league, the stars could be aligning for that to happen.
LeBron's future in Los Angeles is certainly up in the air, and he could conceivably opt out of his deal and go team up with whatever team drafts Bronny. However, whereas it seemed to initially be his primary goal to make that happen, reports have surfaced suggesting that LeBron is not totally intent on making that happen anymore, which adds more intrigue to his potential stint in free agency.
“The idea of them playing together is not a priority, it's not foremost, at least any longer, in LeBron James' mind. Rich Paul's goal here in the pre-draft process for Bronny James is to see if there's the right developmental system or organization, a place that can take a young player like Bronny James, who went five months without playing after his heart episode certainly limited him in his season at USC. If he does go in the draft, he very likely would spend next year in the G League.” – Adrian Wojnarowski, NBA Today
LeBron James backs off desire to play alongside Bronny in the NBA
This is an interesting change of pace from LeBron, because it seemed like everything had been lining up for him to potentially put this plan into place. But Bronny didn't exactly have a great year in college playing for the USC Trojans, and while he's entering the draft, there's no guarantee that he's actually going to get selected.
LeBron's main focus seems to be on winning while he is still in the league. As for Bronny, he wants him to focus on his development and not rush into anything. Forcing him into the NBA too early just so he can play alongside his father may seem fun and enticing in concept, but for a young basketball player who just struggled in his first year in college, it may hinder his development significantly.
James has a lot of options when it comes to what he could end up doing this offseason, but it may not necessarily be worth betting on him and Bronny to team up. While the path to his initial plan has come to fruition, things change, and that could lead to LeBron's offseason looking a lot different than what he once expected it to be.
Follow Us
Subscribe