Category: Latest LeBron News

Udonis Haslem doesn’t think LeBron James will leave the Lakers

Maybe Lakers fans who are concerned LeBron James will leave the Lakers this summer shouldn’t stress about it.

Will he stay or will he go? To paraphrase the name of one of the most famous songs by the punk rock band The Clash, that is the question some are asking these days about LeBron James.

He is expected to decline the player option on his contract for next season and become a free agent this summer, something Rich Paul, his agent, seemed to confirm days ago.

While most believe James will ultimately stay with the Los Angeles Lakers, there is always the chance he will leave. The Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly readying themselves to go after him if he has any reservations about remaining with the Lakers.

But Udonis Haslem, James’ former teammate on the Miami Heat, thinks the chances of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer leaving his current team are slim to none.

Some seem to think L.A. could entice James to stay by drafting his son Bronny and hiring former sharpshooter JJ Redick to be its next head coach. Redick is the elder James’ co-host on the “Mind the Game” podcast.

Multiple reports have indicated Redick is the favorite to land the team’s head coaching job. In fact, according to one report, there are already three men lined up to be on his staff if he lands the gig.

LeBron James gives Jaylen Brown respect after winning Eastern Conference finals MVP

Despite the Lakers-Celtics rivalry, LeBron James paid his respects to Jaylen Brown after an excellent Eastern Conference finals performance.

This year’s Eastern Conference finals looked like at least a somewhat competitive matchup between the upstart Indiana Pacers and the favored Boston Celtics. Despite the Pacers holding late leads in three games, they ended up getting swept, with the fourth and final contest taking place on Monday.

The Celtics will head to the NBA Finals for the second time in the last three seasons. They will await the winner of the Western Conference finals, a series the Dallas Mavericks lead 3-0 over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

While Los Angeles Lakers fans may hate the idea of Boston playing for the world championship, LeBron James praised Boston star wing Jaylen Brown for winning the Eastern Conference finals MVP.

While Jayson Tatum played well and averaged a team-high 30.3 points a game in this series, Brown was at 29.8 points per game and shot a higher percentage from both the field and from 3-point range. Brown poured in 40 points in Game 2, which was the only lopsided game in the series.

There’s no doubt true Lakers fans will be pulling for Dallas, assuming Dallas advances, when the championship series starts next Thursday.

Suns hope to snag LeBron James this summer

Could LeBron James leave the Lakers to join Kevin Durant in Phoenix this summer?

Will LeBron James leave the Los Angeles Lakers this summer as a free agent? Most people believe it will not happen, but anything is possible, and he ultimately has his own agenda when it comes to his basketball career.

James can decline the player option on his contract for the 2024-25 season and become a free agent this summer. There seems to be a general expectation he will simply re-up with the Lakers, but if he or his camp asks them to do him a few favors, such as drafting his son Bronny or hiring JJ Redick as head coach, a departure could be possible.

The Phoenix Suns are reportedly looking to snag the elder James, and they may take the younger James in the first round of next month’s draft to entice his father to come to Arizona.

Phoenix already has Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, giving it arguably the NBA’s most talented trio of stars. However, it was a festering disappointment this season: It won 49 regular-season games and was swept in the first round of the playoffs.

The younger James is expected to work out for only a few teams. However, the Suns are expected to be one of those squads.

Ultimately, it is very hard to imagine the elder James taking a veteran’s minimum contract to join the Suns, especially considering how much of a businessman he is and his stated desire to someday own an NBA expansion team.

76ers are reportedly interested in signing LeBron James as free agent

Could LeBron James be Philadelphia-bound this summer?

The expectation across the NBA right now is LeBron James will decline the player option on his contract for next season to become a free agent this summer. It is something his agent Rich Paul recently hinted at.

Many also expect James to re-sign with the Lakers after he opts out. However, one can never be fully sure what he will do or what he has planned for his immediate future.

Keith Pompey, a Sixers insider, reported James could be one player the team looks to snag in free agency just weeks from now if it strikes out on Paul George (h/t Lakers Daily).

Via The Philadelphia Inquirer:

“The Sixers do have their eyes on other lucrative-salary impact players just in case they don’t get George,” wrote Pompey. “That’s why they also are looking at potential free agents like the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James and New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby.”

The Sixers looked to have a championship-caliber team during the initial months of this season. However, Joel Embiid’s meniscus injury torpedoed their title hopes, and they will seek a reinforcement or two to truly compete with Eastern Conference heavyweights such as the New York Knicks, who knocked them out of the first round of the playoffs, and the Boston Celtics.

George, a 34-year-old nine-time All-Star, can opt out of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers and enter the open market this offseason.

An Eastern Conference executive recently said that if one team would look to draft James’ son Bronny this June, it would be the Sixers. It is thought that if a team takes the younger James in the draft, it could entice his father to leave the Lakers and join that team.

A few months ago, Sixers executive Daryl Morey called the Lakers to attempt to initiate a trade for James. However, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka quickly rebuffed that attempt.

Rich Paul: Bronny James won’t be signed to two-way contract

Perhaps basketball fans shouldn’t expect to see Bronny James suit up for a G League team.

Everyone is talking about Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, as next month’s NBA draft approaches, and many people are very curious about exactly where he will be taken in the draft.

Right now, many projections have him going somewhere in the second round. That sounds about right for a player who struggled mightily with his shooting this season as a freshman at the University of Southern California but could be a project player in the long run. Some of his measurables at the draft combine were promising, and while he didn’t do well during scrimmages, he did look at least somewhat impressive during shooting drills.

There has even been some talk that some teams are considering taking the younger James in the first round of the draft.

But there are plenty of people who are skeptical about his chances of success at the next level, and some of them feel no team should use a draft pick on him. They feel that instead, it would be best for some team to sign the 19-year-old as an undrafted free agent, possibly to a two-way contract to allow him to develop in the G League.

During an interview with Rich Paul, the younger James’ agent, that was posted on Bleacher Report, Chris Haynes asked Paul if it’s true that Paul won’t sign the younger James to a two-way contract, and the agent said yes.

Via Bleacher Report:

“Yes, that’s absolutely true,” said Paul. “Teams know that. I’m not doing that.”

A few weeks ago, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that finding the right “development system” is Paul’s goal for the younger draft heading into the draft.

The elder James’ Los Angeles Lakers will have the No. 55 pick in June’s draft. They could also have the No. 17 selection depending on whether the New Orleans Pelicans take their first-round pick for either this year or next according to the terms of the Anthony Davis trade.

Bronny James is expected to work out for only a few teams

The number of NBA teams that will get an up-close-and-personal look at Bronny James could be limited.

There is only about a month to go before the 2024 NBA draft, and the anticipation is starting to build as far as where Bronny James will get taken.

The son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James was at the draft combine, and this week, he performed at the pro day for Klutch Sports, which represents him and his father.

There has been chatter that teams around the league other than the Lakers are discussing not just taking the younger James but possibly taking him in the first round of the draft. It may seem like an unwise choice given how much he struggled during his freshman year at the University of Southern California, but one NBA executive said people should look at what he could become and not what he was this season.

Perhaps the number of teams that will get an up-close-and-personal look at the 19-year-old will be limited. According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the younger James will only work out with a few teams, including the Lakers and Phoenix Suns.

There seems to be a belief that the elder James’ immediate future in the league will hinge on where his son goes in the draft. The elder James can opt out of his contract and become a free agent this summer, and perhaps he will go to the team that ends up drafting his son.

He has said multiple times that he wants to play alongside his son in the NBA, although ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said recently that doing so is no longer a priority.

The rule change LeBron James wants the NBA to make

There is one quirk in the NBA’s rules that hurt the Lakers in this year’s playoffs, and it’s one LeBron James wants the league to change.

For many years, the NFL has allowed coaches to challenge a call made on the field during a game. When the league first gave coaches the ability to do so in 1999, it allowed the coach of each team two challenges per game. In 2004, a rule was instituted to give a coach a third challenge if he was successful in his first two challenges.

The NBA didn’t follow suit until the 2019-20 season, and it only allowed coaches to challenge one call per game. Starting this season, coaches have been awarded a second challenge if their first one was a success.

However, even if that second challenge is successful, that team will still lose the timeout it had to call in order to make the second challenge in the first place. This rule quirk hurt the Los Angeles Lakers in their final playoff game this year against the Denver Nuggets, as it left them with no timeouts after Jamal Murray hit the shot that broke a 106-all tie with 3.6 seconds left.

LeBron James wants the league to change that rule.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has shown himself to be more open to tweaking rules than his predecessor David Stern. But it remains to be seen if the league’s competition committee will actually take action when it comes to the rules regarding coach’s challenges.

LeBron James on WNBA star rookie Caitlin Clark being criticized

WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark is facing some harsh criticism because of the hype she has gotten, but LeBron James is hoping she succeeds.

Interest in the WNBA has never been higher than it is right now, and a major reason is the arrival of Caitlin Clark.

Clark, who became the all-time leading scorer in Division I college basketball history among both men and women just a few months ago, is hoping to make the Indiana Fever a winning team. She’s off to a somewhat rocky start as a pro, especially since the Fever have lost each of their first four games this season.

Along the way, Caitlin has had to endure some criticism. Some feel she has been overhyped, and a few people have even claimed she’s getting the attention she’s receiving only because she is Caucasian.

But LeBron James feels that criticism is unwarranted. While on his “Mind the Game” podcast, he told co-host JJ Redick that he’s hoping Clark does extremely well and silences all of her haters.

“The one thing that I love that she’s bringing to her sport?” said James. “More people want to watch. More people want to tune in. Don’t get it twisted. Don’t get it [expletive] up. Caitlin Clark is the reason why a lot of great things is going to happen for the WNBA. But for her individually, I don’t think she should get involved on nothing that’s being said. Just go have fun. Enjoy. I’m rooting for Caitlin because I’ve been in that seat before. I’ve walked that road before. I hope she kills.

“… There’s a very small number of men and women that actually get to live out their dream of playing a professional sport, and we have grown [expletive] men and women doing whatever they can to try to make sure that does not happen.”

Clark’s impact on the league is already immense. Coverage of this year’s WNBA draft got immense ratings, and ratings for this season’s opening doubleheader on ABC were much higher compared to last season.

Via sportsnaut.com:

“WNBA TV ratings have skyrocketed in the 2024 season,” wrote Matt Johnson. “ABC announced it had its most-viewed opening weekend doubleheader ever, with two games combining to average 1.5 million viewers. That marks a 143 percent increase from a WNBA doubleheader on ABC a year ago.

“The WNBA has already had four games averaging over 1.3 million viewers this season across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. These are the most-watched WNBA games in over two decades.”

In addition, players across the league now enjoy chartered flights just like their male counterparts have for about 30 years, an improvement that has widely been credited to the presence of Clark.

Perhaps the biggest impact she and her colleagues will have due to the WNBA’s skyrocketing popularity is the inspiration they will provide to young girls across the nation who will now have the belief and inspiration to chase their dreams.

LeBron James becomes oldest player to be named to an All-NBA team

LeBron James continues to laugh in the face of Father Time with his latest individual accomplishment.

For the last several years, many have waited for LeBron James to start declining or at least show some real signs of aging. But it hasn’t really happened, at least not yet.

This season, he turned 39 years of age, but he didn’t play like it. He averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds a game while shooting 54.0% from the field, which was his highest accuracy in six years. He also made 41.0% of his 3-point attempts, which was his highest 3-point percentage ever for an entire season.

As a result, James was named to the All-NBA Third Team on Wednesday. It marked his 20th selection to one of the three All-NBA teams, which keeps him as the all-time leader in that category by a mile.

In doing so, he is now the oldest player in NBA history to be named to an All-NBA team. He was also the youngest player to do so back in the 2004-05 season.

Previously, the oldest player to make an All-NBA team was Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during the 1985-86 campaign. At the time, he was merely about eight months younger than James is now.

James may not be the greatest player in basketball history, but he does have the greatest longevity of any NBA player ever. That includes Abdul-Jabbar, who was ahead of his time back in the day when it came to taking care of his body and working on his overall fitness.

NBA executive on Bronny James: ‘We need to look at what we think he’ll be’

One NBA executive wants people to look past Bronny James’ stats this past season and look at his ultimate potential.

By far the most polarizing prospect in this year’s NBA draft class is Bronny James. As the son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, he is having to deal with high expectations, not to mention plenty of pressure.

At last week’s draft combine, he showed encouraging signs, as well as some concerning ones. He didn’t really stand out during two scrimmages, but he registered a robust 40 1/2-inch vertical leap.

Still, there is a growing feeling he will be selected in the draft and that the Lakers may not be the only team interested in him. Some also believe he could actually become a viable NBA player and not merely live off of his last name.

One NBA executive pointed out how the younger James’ cardiac arrest episode last summer means that people need to look past the meager numbers he put up this season as a freshman at the University of Southern California.

Via Bleacher Report:

“You try playing collegiate hoops after what was basically a heart attack,” the executive said. “Him just being on the court is impressive. We need to look at what we think he’ll be, not what he was at USC.”

The 19-year-old spent time last summer getting a battery of medical tests, including some at the famed Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, which many medical experts consider the best hospital and medical center in the nation. It was eventually determined that a treatable congenital heart defect caused his cardiac arrest episode.

He averaged just 4.8 points in 19.4 minutes while shooting 36.6% overall and 26.7% from 3-point range in 25 games for a mediocre Trojans squad.