Dating back to at least 2018, LeBron James has publicly stated his desire to play along his oldest son, Bronny.
“You want to ask me what would be the greatest achievement of my life? If I was on the court at the same time as my son in the NBA,” James told ESPN’s top broadcast team in a pre-production meeting ahead of the 2018 NBA Finals. “That would be No. 1 in my lifetime as an NBA player.”
James has reiterated his stance on multiple occasions, including as recently as the 2022 All-Star Weekend. But now that Bronny is eligible to enter the NBA, it appears there may have been a change of plans.
On Monday, news broke that Bronny — who had suffered cardiac arrest last summer — has passed the necessary medical tests ahead of the scouting combine and is expected to remain in the NBA Draft. But when asked what this means for the older James’ immediate future, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst threw water on the idea that the four-time NBA champion is prioritizing playing with his son.
“This was not unexpected, this was procedural. They wouldn’t have put his name in the draft if they weren’t confident he’d be cleared to play,” Windhorst said on Get Up. “Over the last few months, Rich Paul, who’s the agent for LeBron and Bronny James has made an effort to part the concept that drafting Bronny James means you’re getting LeBron. I do believe LeBron is going to opt out of his contract next month. And I do believe he has several reasons why he wants to do that. And leaving optionality for playing with Bronny is on the list, but I don’t think it’s at the top. I do think he’s going to be back with the Lakers.”
Yet despite his belief that James will remain in Los Angeles for a seventh season, Windhorst also noted that the Lakers could very well help facilitate a father-son team-up.
“I think if the Lakers have an opportunity to draft Bronny James, they will do so,” he said. “Whether that’s with the 55th pick or if they make another deal around the draft where they pick up another pick, I think they will try. I do not think it’s going to be their top priority. And I don’t think the league right now is looking at this as draft Bronny James and you can get LeBron.”
Brian Windhorst on Bronny James being medically cleared for the NBA: "Over the last few months, Rich Paul, who's the agent for LeBron and Bronny James has made an effort to part the concept that drafting Bronny James means you're getting LeBron. I do believe LeBron's going to opt… pic.twitter.com/Dk8PHIfJT4
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 13, 2024
With the NBA Draft Lottery in the books, Bronny’s draft status figures to be one of the more intriguing storylines, especially in a draft class that lacks obvious star power at the top of the class. While there isn’t much about his resume — beyond perhaps his name — that suggests he’s an NBA-caliber prospect at this point in his career, the possibility of a team also landing his famous father has been enough to make some wonder if a team would be willing to take the younger James in the first round.
But if Windhorst is to be believed — and there’s no reason not to — then that narrative has been overblown and the most likely outcome here might be the Lakers finding a way to select the USC freshman in the second round. Still, unless they’re willing to use their No. 17 pick in the first round on Bronny, the Lakers will likely need to trade up in the second round, unless they’re willing to risk another team taking him and putting James’ previous comments to the test.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.