Now that LeBron James’ long-coveted dream has come true and he has made NBA history, the billionaire basketball legend is reportedly willing to relent on his exorbitant contract demands.
King James was, of course, in a state of bliss when his son, LeBron “Bronny” James Jr., was drafted by his Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the NBA Draft on Thursday, June 27.
This makes LeBron and Bronny James the first-ever father and son to play with each other in NBA history. Also, LBJ has frequently stated that his favorite non-basketball athlete was fellow Buckeye native Ken Griffey Jr., who famously played on the same baseball team with his father, Ken Griffey Sr., in the early 1990s. So, you can say that LBJ made his “Griffey” dream come to fruition.
The next order of business for the NBA superstar is to compete for a championship. James has indicated that he is willing to make significant contractural concessions to manifest his final NBA dream.
Therefore, the four-time league MVP and four-time NBA champ opted out of his $51.4 million player option for 2024-25, but is going remain with the Los Angeles Lakers, albeit on a new deal. Even though LBJ could have gone for the three-year, $162 million deal, it would have handcuffed the Lakers from going after prized talent to make the Lakers title contenders again.
According to “ESPN’s” Dave McMenamin, James is willing to accept less money to free the Lakers to recruit a marquee talent to Laker Nation.
“The type of player that James would be willing to make a financial sacrifice for would be an established veteran playmaker like James Harden or Klay Thompson, or an established big man to play alongside Anthony Davis – like Jonas Valančiūnas,” McMenamin reports.
