NBA ESPN insider Brian Windhorst appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” on April 18 to discuss Bronny James’ future.
When speaking about the prospect of Bronny teaming up with his dad LeBron in the NBA, Windhorst explained that LeBron has changed his tune of late.
“LeBron has kind of changed the way he’s talked about that during the season,” Windhorst said. “He made it clear that that’s his dream and not necessarily Bronny’s dream.”
Windhorst is alluding to a quote LeBron had last year when speaking with reporters. “Just because that’s my aspiration or my goal doesn’t mean it’s [Bronny’s]. And I’m absolutely OK with that. My job is to support my son in whatever he wants to do,” he said.
Windhorst also added that, because Bronny hasn’t done interviews or spoken openly about potentially playing with LeBron, we don’t know whether Bronny shares his dad’s dream.
Even if it is, Windhorst claims that Bronny returning to college makes the most sense for him, financially.
“[Bronny] would really benefit from playing another year in college,” Windhorst said. “Especially since he’s one of the highest-paid NIL guys in all of college sports.”
Bronny’s $4.2 million NIL evaluation per On3 proves Windhorst’s point.
Yet, the James family has made it clear that LeBron is willing to wait.
LeBron James Wants To Play With Both Sons
Bronny isn’t the only son of LeBron James.
There is also 16-year-old Bryce James, who has already received scholarship offers from Ohio State and Duquesne, per 247 sports.
A Beats by Dre commercial that debuted in October 2023 was narrated by LeBron’s wife, Savannah James. At the video’s 1:30 mark, Savannah hints at her husband potentially playing with both Bronny and Bryce in the NBA.
“Tell them you’re not done until you play with your son. Then do that—again,” she said. At that point, the close-up on Bronny’s face turns to a close-up of Bryce.
The prospect of LeBron potentially playing with not just one, but two sons in the NBA might sound outlandish.
But the Lakers star’s current form proves that it’s possible.
How Long Can LeBron Keep Playing?
Bryce James is currently a junior in high school. Therefore, current NBA Draft minimum age requirements make it so Bryce isn’t NBA Draft eligible until 2026. So the earliest that Bryce could team up with his dad would be the 2026–27 season.
LeBron would be 41 years old by the start of that season.
Yet, the 25.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game LeBron produced during the 2023-24 regular season shows that his skills aren’t declining.
He also played 35.3 minutes per game, and avoided missing significant time due to injury.
If LeBron can remain healthy, there’s no reason why he can’t have his minutes gradually decline over the next couple years, to ensure there’s still some tread on the tires when Bryce becomes NBA eligible.
While this wouldn’t be LeBron’s preference, Los Angeles not making a deep playoff run this season would also benefit his future durability.
And if the Lakers’ April 20 loss against the Denver Nuggets is any indication, they’ll be hard pressed to survive past the first round.
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