What will LeBron James do? What will Bronny James do? Those questions are the talk of the NBA after the Los Angeles Lakers got eliminated from the NBA playoffs by the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. Let’s lay out the situation here so that everyone can understand what is at stake.
If LeBron is playing just one more season, that would guarantee that Bronny will go pro and join his dad in the NBA next season. If LeBron is playing three more seasons, that would seem to open the door for Bronny to play another year of college basketball and develop his game. He could then join LeBron in the NBA next year, and the two could play at least two seasons together in the pros.
If LeBron is playing two more NBA seasons, Bronny’s choice becomes less clear-cut, but it would be more likely than not that Bronny would go pro. He could spend one year with LeBron as a developmental season. Then his second year with LeBron could represent a more serious effort to boost and establish his own NBA career, with LeBron walking off into the sunset.
With all of this in mind, LeBron Wire noted reporting from The Athletic which said the following:
“Coming off his 21st NBA season, James is expected to play up to two more NBA seasons, one source briefed on his thinking said,” wrote Shams Charania, Jovan Buha and Sam Amick. “He has a $51.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season. Two more seasons would take James through the 2026 All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.
“It’s anticipated James, ahead of his June 29 option date, will want to see how the Lakers manage the offseason and their approach to building the roster around him and [Anthony] Davis. Both routes — opting in and opting out — are on the table for James.”
It’s hard to imagine the Lakers not acting in accordance with LeBron’s wishes, in order to ensure he remains a Laker for the rest of his career. That would seem to smooth the path for Bronny to join as a 2024 draft pick. Now we’ll just have to wait and see in these next two months.
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