Now that NBA superstar LeBron James has accomplished the unprecedented, he has given indication that he is about ready to bid adieu to the game after two decades.
King James, 39, and his son, LeBron “Bronny” James Jr., 19, will become the first father and son to play on the same team (Los Angeles Lakers) at the same time in NBA history when the 2024-25 season commences in October.
It is not an accident that, long ago, LBJ said his favorite non-basketball athlete is fellow Buckeye State native Ken Griffey Jr., the Hall of Fame baseball player. Griffey was able to play on the same Seattle Mariners team as his father, Ken Griffey, in the early 1990s.
LeBron James insinuates to ESPN that this will be his last contract
When asked by ESPN if that could be the case, James responded by saying, “I mean it could be. I’d never sit up here and say, ‘Oh um maybe not,’ ” he said.
“Yeah, it could be. Easily. But we’ll see what happens.”
Bronny James is not expected to get close to the athletic feats that his father reached in the NBA. LBJ’s eldest son’s progress was stunted when he had a cardiac arrest while practicing at the USC Bruins facility in the summer of 2023, nearly dying. Nevertheless, the younger James was able to return to the team in the middle of the season but came off the bench for one of the worst teams in the Pac-12 Conference with paltry numbers of 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
The one intangible that Bronny James possesses that his father did not coming into the NBA is his stoicism and unflappable nature.
“When I came in [as a rookie], I wanted people to like me and some of the things that people were saying about me kind of bothered me early on in my career … [Bronny James] doesn’t give a f—,” LeBron James said of his son.
“He does not care about nobody. He doesn’t even listen to that stuff. He’s like the coolest. He’s like the complete opposite of his dad,” LBJ said.
LeBron James marvels at his son’s imperturbability amid the torrential downpour of criticisms he’s received since he considered leaving USC early to enter the NBA.
“His dad will say something [to address the critics]. Bro does not care … everything that’s being said about him, he really does not care,” LeBron James said of his son.
