If LeBron James retires from NBA, it won't affect Bronny James playing freshman year at USC

Bronny James will enroll at USC next month

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is mulling retiring from the NBA.

"I got to think about it," he told ESPN's Dave McMenamin on Monday night after the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets.

James has repeatedly discussed publicly his hope of playing with his son Bronny in the NBA in the future. Bronny James signed with USC earlier this month and will play his freshman season with the Trojans. After one year in college, the younger James will be eligible to play in the NBA, but LeBron James potentially retiring has led to speculation about what that might mean for his son's basketball future. 

From a college basketball and USC perspective, it doesn't mean much. 

Bronny James will enroll at USC next month, according to a source, along with fellow freshman Arrinten Page. The decisions regarding Bronny's next basketball move will come at the end of his freshman season.

If LeBron James retires for good, will Bronny still go to the NBA after one year of college? If LeBron sits out next season, could he potentially return the following year to team up with Bronny?

Those are two key questions.

Adam Finkelstein, 247Sports.com's Director of Scouting, thinks that Bronny James' NBA future, at least early on, will be tied to what his father decides to do.

"Bronny's NBA projection depends on the extent to which his father ties the end of his career to Bronny’s location," he said. "There is very little precedent for a 6-foot-3 combo-guard to be a first-round pick, much less a lottery pick, without being a dynamic playmaker."

If LeBron James does return to the Lakers next season, he has an opt out in his contract that would allow him to leave the team a year from now. That would give the elder James the ability to sign with whichever team drafts Bronny, if he elects to go pro. 

This is certainly a story worth paying attention to for USC fans. If LeBron James is done in the NBA, that may lead to Bronny James playing more than one year in the Cardinal and Gold.