Feb 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) celebrates with his son Bronny James after breaking the all-time scoring record in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers
LOS ANGELES — The Lakers may have their ploy to keep LeBron James in Los Angeles.
That ploy? Bronny James – LeBron’s son.
There has been speculation as to whether LeBron will exercise his $51.4 million player option after this season or enter free agency. Report say the Lakers are “willing to explore the notion” of adding his son Bronny, in order to keep the elder James happy.
LeBron has mentioned on many occasions that his goal is to play with his son, and teams are aware of this.
The 19-year-old freshman at USC, can enter the 2024 NBA Draft after completing this season — but there’s belief he wont, after putting up underwhelming numbers for a terrible USC team.
He’s averaging just 5.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, while shooting just 35.6 percent from the floor. But he did suffer cardiac arrest in July, and it fair to wonder if he’s fully recovered
From a pure production standpoint, he’s not playing like a first-round pick, let alone a lottery selection. Simply put? He’s played like an underclassmen. One that would likely benefit by returning for his sophomore season
But — believe it or not — there are perks of being LeBron James’ son. And if drafting Bronny means it’s a package deal with his dad, that surely will make it for attractive for teams come draft night.
As for LeBron, he reportedly declined to join the Warriors at this year’s NBA trade deadline. Still, executives are “increasingly convinced” he wants out of Los Angeles.
The Lakers won a championship in his second season with the franchise — to the extent you count the COVID bubble championship — but have struggled since.
