LeBron James has two years remaining on his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, but the second of those seasons is a player option. Many have been expecting him to turn down that option and leave the Lakers in order to play alongside his son Bronny James.
The younger James has committed to play his college ball at the University of Southern California starting this fall. His stock has risen greatly over the last several months, and although he isn’t necessarily a lock to make it to the NBA, let alone be a star, at least one mock draft has him going fairly early in the first round of the 2024 draft.
On the other hand, there are those who feel he will have to play two or three years of college ball in order to get drafted into the NBA.
Still, the elder James has been steadfast in his desire to play with his son. In fact, Brian Windhorst, who has covered the elder James since his high school days, said he likely cares more about playing on the same team as his son than he does about winning another world championship (h/t Lakers Daily).
“I honestly believe that LeBron cares more about playing with Bronny than he would about getting another ring,” Windhorst said.
If the elder James were to leave a championship-caliber Lakers squad next summer, or for that matter, the following summer, just to team up with his son, it would be seen as a selfish move on his part by many basketball fans.