LeBron James appeared at one of his final NBA media days on Monday in Los Angeles for the Lakers. James does not yet know when he'll retire, but he acknowledged it was "soon" when speaking to media ahead of his 23rd NBA season. But as he'll be suiting up for the upcoming campaign, questions will persist about when he may finally hang up the sneakers.
On Monday he received a version of that question—with a key caveat. James was asked if he would hold off retirement in the coming years in order to play with his second son, Bryce James, who is about to embark upon his freshman year at Arizona playing for the Wildcats. LeBron, of course, is set to play his second season with his oldest son Bronny. He got honest about the possibility of playing with Bryce when asked.
"No, I'm not waiting on Bryce," LeBron said. "I don't know what his timeline is. He's his own young man now. He's down in Tuscon. We'll see what happens this year, next year, but he has his own timeline. I've got my timeline. I don't know if they quite match up. We'll see."
LeBron: "I'm not waiting on Bryce. He has his own timeline, I got my timeline" pic.twitter.com/t0ztss9DeY
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) September 29, 2025
James struck quite a different tone a few years ago when asked about playing with Bronny. He made it very clear that was a huge goal and one of his primary motivating factors that kept him playing even after hitting the 20-year mark. And obviously he made that dream reality. But it seems he views the situation with Bryce differently.
Which makes plenty of sense. LeBron is in his 40s. He won't play forever, as hard as that is to grasp for everybody who has watched him all these years. Not to mention Bryce's path to the NBA is not as clear as Bronny's was; Bryce was a three-star prospect before committing to Arizona while Bronny was evaluated as a four-star recruit. If Bryce surprises as a freshman and declares like his brother then maybe that'll change the equation for LeBron.
But for now, as the man himself said: he's got his timeline, and Bryce has his own.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as LeBron James Got Honest When Asked About Holding Off Retirement to Play With Son Bryce.
