Bronny looks to play in NBA after high school graduation, says commentary editor Logan Guthrie.
It is not unheard of for basketball star LeBron James to pick up and leave a team for another in the NBA as part of his ongoing quest for more championships, but this is not the case this time around. In 2024, James could potentially be leaving the Lakers for more personal reasons, in hopes of playing his last NBA season alongside his son.
Currently a junior in high school, James’ son Bronny will be eligible at that time to be drafted. He is a 6-foot-3 guard at Sierra Canyon High School in California and currently ranked 43rd in the country according to ESPN. James expressed before this season’s All-Star Game in Cleveland that he plans on signing with whatever NBA team drafts his son. “My last year will be with my son. Wherever Bronny’s at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”
James is of course still under contract for the next season with the Lakers for $44.5 million dollars, but clearly this is not a concern in James’ mind. Likely, he would just sign a one-year deal for the 2023-24 season that way he could ensure that he can follow his plan to play with his son.
A recent national survey from SBNation, however, brings concerns to James about his goal to play with his son. This survey reports 76% of fans have said that they don’t want their NBA team to draft James Jr. in order to also get James himself for a single season. Some cite letting the younger James just be himself and make his own destiny as a reason as to their misgivings about the older James’ plan. Others mention that James would already be 40 years old at the earliest time that his son would be eligible, and that is assuming that he even wants to enter the NBA at that time. It is possible that he will want to wait a while before playing at that level.
The Los Angeles Lakers have had a losing streak this season making them 27-35, taking 9th currently in the Western Conference, and it would take a miracle to pull this team together. This has led to some jabs at the team involving James Jr.’s name, with Charles Barkley claiming that the Lakers are so bad this year that even James’ son has a chance to get one of the team’s spots. “Does Bronny start or come off the bench this year? I think Bronny might get a chance to start.” Of course, this was a joke, but the poor season for the team may add another reason that James would desire to move on to something new, considering he has been the only consistent player in form this season.
It will be interesting to see the trajectory of James Jr.’s career as his father begins to wrap up his own. The legacy of this family is impressive, and whether or not we agree with James’ decision to move to whatever team his son is drafted to, we could be in for a historic season with a powerful mix of basketball nostalgia and excellent athletes.
