Coming off his fourth NBA championship and Finals MVP, it’s almost difficult to imagine that LeBron James’ career could be winding down. But in the meantime, LeBron does have a goal in mind:
Play in the NBA with his oldest son, Bronny James.
He’s now one step closer to that goal.
According to The Athletic, LeBron agreed to a two-year, $85 million contract extension with the Lakers, which runs through the 2023 season. Bronny — a sophomore in high school — is set to graduate in 2023. And if the NBA and NBPA agree to do away with the age requirement, Bronny could be eligible to enter the NBA draft straight out of high school.
LeBron James‘ contract runs through 2023 — when his son, Bronny, graduates high school and could have option to enter the NBA Draft if the league and NBPA change the high school-to-pro rule. https://t.co/6bcMLgYTVV
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 2, 2020
Two years ago, LeBron said in a feature with UNINTERRUPTED that playing in the NBA with (or against) Bronny would be his proudest achievement:
“You want to ask me what is the greatest achievement of my life? If I’m on the same court as my son in the NBA. That would be number one in my lifetime as an NBA player. I’ve thought about it because my son is about to be 14, and he might be able to get in there a little earlier.”
And to Bronny’s credit, he’s at least on track to make that dream a possibility.
Bronny is a five-star recruit, according to 247Sports’ Composite ratings. Right now, Bronny probably wouldn’t be considered a true one-and-done prospect as other players in his class are more advanced in their development. Fellow 2023 classman Mikey Williams, for example, regularly puts up 50-point efforts while Bronny rarely hits double figures with Sierra Canyon (Calif.).
But Bronny’s age, genes and basketball pedigree give him plenty of room to improve. And who knows: Bronny could grow six inches and be the No. 1 prospect by 2023. It’s too early to make any definite proclamation about his basketball potential besides saying there’s a lot of it.
With Wednesday’s news, LeBron is officially trying to see that NBA potential play out.
