LeBron James Clarifies Plans to Play With Son Bronny in NBA

He made an interesting addendum to his longstanding hope to play with his eldest son in the NBA.

LeBron James absolutely wants to play with his eldest son Bronny in the pros. During an interview with ESPN, he acknowledged that they might not be able to do so on the same team.

Despite his Lakers’ struggles, James, 38, is still playing at a very high level, making it hard to question whether he can still keep it up in two years when he’s 40. That is the first year that Bronny will be NBA eligible, and LeBron has maintained that he wants to play in the league with him. That is still the plan, he told Dave McMenamin. 

“I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny,” James said, before adding a quick addendum to the plan. 

“Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him,” he said. “. . . But I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. thing. That would be ideal for sure.” 

Since Bronny broke onto the scene as a top hoops prospect, LeBron has stood by the idea of playing on the same team as his son. Of course, Bronny will be subject to the whims of the NBA draft and the lottery, and James could be constrained by whatever his contract details are at the time. He currently has two more years with Los Angeles after the 2022–23 season, running through 2024–25 before he would become an unrestricted free agent that offseason. 2024–25 is the first year in which Bronny is NBA draft eligible, though it is unclear whether he’s a one-and-done type talent at the college level. 

Because of the complications of trying to land with the same franchise, it appears that LeBron now acknowledges that he might have to settle for sharing the same floor as his son a few times in a year as opponents.

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In an August interview with Sports Illustrated, LeBron went into detail about his plans, not only to play alongside Bronny, but potentially his younger son Bryce as well.

“I like to throw things out in the airwaves, but I’m not one to [say] what’s going to happen in the next two to three years,” LeBron said. “I am a visionary, but I’m also a guy that lives in the moment. I’d definitely be looking at who got first-round picks in 2024, 2025, things of that nature; 2026, ’27. I pay attention to that type of stuff.”

Playing at 40, with or against Bronny, would be an impressive feat. Lasting a few more years to see Bryce, 15, potentially reach the league would be even more monumental.

“I feel like I could play for quite a while. So it’s all up to the body, but more importantly, my mind,” he said. “If my mind can stay sharp and fresh and motivated, then the sky’s not even the limit for me. I can go beyond that. But we shall see.”