LeBron James said a while back that his last NBA season would be beside his son, Bronny – but now he is “off [that] idea.”
The son of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer is slated to be a second-round pick in the NBA Draft later this month, putting the father-son duo in the association together.
However, their agent, Rich Paul, says they are not necessarily a package deal, and James’ future with the Los Angeles Lakers is not based on where Bronny gets drafted.
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Bronny James talks with his father LeBron James after the 2023 McDonald’s High School All American Boys Game at Toyota Center. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny,” Paul said to ESPN earlier this week. “If he does, he does. But if he doesn’t, he doesn’t. There’s no deal made that it’s guaranteed that if the Lakers draft Bronny at 55, [LeBron] will re-sign. If that was the case, I would force them to take him at 17.
“We don’t need leverage. The Lakers can draft Bronny, and LeBron doesn’t re-sign.”
It seemed rather peculiar, though, that Bronny had invites for workouts with at least 10 teams, but only accepted two: the Lakers and Phoenix Suns.
However, Paul says that was all “by design.”
Bronny James shoots a free throw during the NBA basketball Draft Combine in Chicago, May 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
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“This is nothing new. The goal is to find a team that values your guy and try to push him to get there. It’s important to understand the context and realize that this has always been the strategy with many of my clients throughout the years, especially those in need of development like Bronny,” Paul said.
“Bronny is the same as my previous clients… If Bronny’s name was Charles Jacobsen and he was my client – I would do the same thing: identify teams that have real interest.”
Paul said the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors all “love” Bronny, and all but guaranteed he will be drafted.
“If it’s not the Lakers, it will be someone else,” Paul said.
Bronny James of the USC Trojans greets LeBron James before the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Galen Center on Jan. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
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Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest last summer, forcing him to miss the beginning of his lone season at USC – he averaged less than five points per game.
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