“And to all the other kids out there striving to be great just keep your head down, blinders on and keep grinding,” James wrote. “These Mock Drafts doesn’t matter one bit! I promise you! Only the WORK MATTERS! Let’s talk REAL BASKETBALL PEOPLE!”
LeBron James Jr. — the elder son of James and his wife, Savannah — arrived at USC in May as a four-star prospect who was projected to be a first-round pick in the 2024 draft. But Bronny’s freshman season got off to a delayed start after he suffered a cardiac arrest in July, collapsing during a team workout from what a family spokeswoman said was a congenital heart defect. The 6-foot-4 19-year-old was cleared to return in late November and is averaging 5.5 points on 37.1 percent shooting, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists through 19 games. He is averaging about 20 minutes per game and has made six starts for the 11-16 Trojans, who are second to last in the Pac-12 with a 5-11 league record. Several mock drafts now have him listed as a 2025 pick.
LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in his 21st season, has made no secret of his desire to play alongside Bronny (and also his younger son, Bryce) in the NBA. At 39, he is under contract with the Lakers through the season and holds a player option for 2024-25. But his future with the team has been a topic of conversation, with the Lakers fighting for a spot in the Western Conference playoffs. (They’re in play-in territory at this point, with the conference’s ninth-best record.) Earlier this month, the Athletic reported that the Lakers were “willing to explore the notion” of adding Bronny as a rookie next season. He would be eligible to enter the draft after his freshman season at USC, but it is not clear whether he will do so.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who has covered Bronny’s dad since his high school days in Ohio, said he believes James will seek a multiyear deal from the Lakers this summer.
“I don’t think this is LeBron’s last stand. I don’t think this is the Lakers’ last stand,” Windhorst said Monday on ESPN’s “First Take.” “First off, I think LeBron is angling to sign a multiyear deal in the offseason with the Lakers that will be nine figures. That will be even bigger than the deal he is on now.
“Now, whether or not he’s able to finish that deal, whether or not the Lakers want to give him a three-year contract and pay him $60 million when he’s 42 years old, that’s a different discussion.”
Time, as LeBron noted recently, is growing short.
“I have not mapped out how many seasons I have left,” he said during All-Star Weekend. “I know it’s not that many. I am happy and have been very happy being a Laker these last six years and hopefully it stays that way. I don’t have the answer to how long it is or which uniform I’ll be in. Hopefully it is the Lakers. It is a great organization, so many greats. I don’t know how it’s going to end, but it’s coming. It’s coming for sure.”
