Photo: Getty Images North America
LeBron James said he's committed to the Los Angeles Lakers "as long as I can play," despite his recent public admission of planning to play alongside his son, Bronny, once the 17-year-old is NBA eligible.
"This is a franchise I see myself being with. I'm here. I'm here," James said after the Lakers' 105-102 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday (February 26) night via ESPN. "I see myself being with the purple and gold as long as I can play."
Last week, during NBA All-Star Weekend in Cleveland, James, 37, told The Athletic, "My last year will be played with my son. ... Wherever Bronny is at, there's where I'll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It's not about the money at that point."
The five-time NBA champion clarified that statement on Friday, acknowledging that it remains a goal "if it's possible."
"I also have a goal that, if it's possible -- I don't even know if it's possible -- that if I can play with my son, I would love to do that," LeBron said via ESPN. "Is that, like, something that any man shouldn't want that in life? That's like the coolest thing that could possibly happen. That doesn't mean I don't want to be with this franchise."
James is currently under contract with the Lakers for one more season and will be eligible to sign a two-year extension worth $97 million during the upcoming offseason.
Bronny, a four-star junior high school basketball prospect, would need to be at least one year removed from high school and 19 years of age to become draft eligible, meaning he could be a prospect in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Bronny currently ranks as the No. 6 combo guard, No. 4 player from the state of California and the No. 34 overall prospect for the 2023 national recruiting cycle, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings and has yet to commit to a college program.
Eric Bossi, an evaluator for 247Sports, wrote that James "is starting to come into his own as a player on a loaded Sierra Canyon team" and has "made positive strides as a junior," which will likely lead to his prospect rankings improving ahead of and/or during his senior season.
It's long been speculated that James would navigate his free agency around his son's NBA future, having agreed to the two-year extension in December 2020 as Bronny emerged as a rising prospect for Sierra Canyon.
Whether that will be for the Lakers or another franchise is yet to be seen, but will undoubtedly be a point of focus leading up to the 2024-25 season.