The dreams of LeBron James and son Bronny James playing together in the NBA took an interesting turn, according to agent Rich Paul.
LeBron James does not “have” to play with his son at the pro level, according to what his agent told ESPN. Originally, the future Hall of Famer said he wanted to make every effort, in some sort of fashion, to play with his son.
With Bronny James through the NBA combine and a projected second round pick at this point, if it happens, it happens. Paul opened up on any rumors regarding LeBron James’ future in the NBA when it comes to his son.
“LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny,” Paul told ESPN on Wednesday. “If he does, he does. But if he doesn’t, he doesn’t. There’s no deal made that it’s guaranteed that if the Lakers draft Bronny at 55, he (LeBron) will resign. If that was the case, I would force them to take him at 17. We don’t need leverage. The Lakers can draft Bronny, and LeBron doesn’t (re-sign). LeBron is also not going to Phoenix for a minimum deal. We can squash that now.”
Bronny James only worked out for the Los Angeles Lakers, his father’s current team, and the Phoenix Suns. Rumors circulated that LeBron could opt out of his deal this summer and sign with the Suns.
Well, cross that off the list according to Paul. Plus,if the Lakers actually want Bronny, the elder James might not be there for the 2024-25 season.
The initial impression from, mostly, fans was LeBron James would just work his way to join whatever team his son is drafted by this year. That doesn’t seem to be the case though.
As ESPN previously reported, if LeBron and Bronny play on the same team in an organic fashion, that’s just the cherry on top.
Bronny James appeared in 25 games this year for USC, including six starts, after missing the start of the season as he recovered from cardiac arrest over the offseason. He declared for the draft while maintaining his college eligibility and entered the transfer portal, as well. However, he ultimately decided to stay in the draft and forego his eligibility.
James arrived on campus as a four-star prospect and the No. 25 overall prospect from the 2023 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. On3 was the only service to rank James as a five-star.
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