Lakers News: LeBron James Acknowledges Bronny May Not Want To Play With Him

A twist!

It has long been assumed that matriculating 2023-24 USC freshman shooting guard LeBron "Bronny" James Jr., son of Los Angeles Lakers All-Star small forward LeBron James, hopes to play alongside his dad in the NBA some day. The earliest that can happen, per the pending CBA at least, would be the 2024-25 season.

Now, it appears LeBron has thrown some cold water on that prospect, both with his floating a potential retirement this summer and some recent comments he extended to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

"I've done what I've had to do in this league, and my son is going to take his journey," James said. "And whatever his journey, however his journey lays out, he's going to do what's best for him. And as his dad, and his mom, Savannah, and his brother and sister, we're going to support him in whatever he decides to do. So, just because that's my aspiration or my goal, doesn't mean it's his. And I'm absolutely OK with that."

Bronny is considered a mid-first round draft pick among his current class, and as such could wind up lingering in college longer than a one-and-done stint. In addition to not being pressured to declare for the draft as early as possible due to the weight of financial obligations, the way his dad did, Bronny also already has a lucrative NIL contract with Nike, netting him his own millions. He doesn't need to rush his development at the next level, and it appears his father might be taking that under consideration in planning for his own future. 

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