LeBron James’s son Bronny was drafted by the Lakers, father & son will play together

LeBron James is 39 years old, and he’s turning 40 in December. He’s still playing and he has until Saturday to confirm that he’ll play with the LA Lakers for the next season, and it’s looking like he will absolutely stay in LA. Mostly because LeBron’s 19 year old son Bronny James has just been drafted to the Lakers. If LeBron stays with the Lakers, this will be the first time a father-and-son duo play at the same time, and the first time a father and son play for the same NBA team.

Before Thursday, there never had been a father-son duo playing in the NBA at the same time. And now, the first father-son pair is set to be teammates after the Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James — the eldest son of LeBron James — with the 55th pick in the second round of the draft. “Beyond blessed,” Bronny James wrote in an Instagram post.

The James family received the news while gathered together at an intimate dinner party in New York, sources told ESPN. LeBron’s mother, Gloria, and wife Savannah’s parents attended, along with some of Bronny’s closest friends and confidants. After the Lakers delivered their decision, LeBron led the group in a champagne toast to commemorate the occasion, a source told ESPN, and was “very emotional” considering the weight of the moment.

“In the history of the NBA, there’s never been a father and a son that have shared an NBA basketball court and that feels like something that could be magical,” Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said. “We know, and have to respect of course, that LeBron has a decision on his opt-out … but if it worked out that he was on our team next season, NBA history could be made. And NBA history should be made in a Lakers uniform.”

Bronny, 19, averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.4 minutes per game in his lone season at USC. He joined the Trojans in game action midseason after being sidelined for nearly five months while recovering from a cardiac arrest episode that required surgery to treat a congenital heart defect. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound guard was medically cleared to be drafted by the NBA’s Fitness to Play Panel on the eve of the draft combine last month.

Bronny’s father has until 5 p.m. ET Saturday to opt into the final year of his Lakers contract — worth $51.4 million for next season — or become an unrestricted free agent. The Lakers are focused on retaining LeBron James for his 22nd season and beyond and are willing to offer the 39-year-old the maximum three-year, $162 million deal he is eligible for to keep him with the franchise, sources told ESPN.

[From ESPN]

For LeBron, I imagine this is all positive – he adores his children, and it’s probably the fulfillment of a dream to see his oldest join his team. For Bronny though… those are such enormous shoes to fill, and everyone will compare him to his dad. Even if you don’t believe that LeBron is the GOAT, you have to admit that he makes a strong case and he’s consistently been in the GOAT conversations for years. That’s a lot for a 19-year-old kid trying to carve out his own identity and his own path. Still, I hope the whole family is enjoying the jokes and memes about how LeBron is sleeping with his teammate’s mother.

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Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Getty, Cover Images.

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16 Responses to “LeBron James’s son Bronny was drafted by the Lakers, father & son will play together”

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  1. Chantale says:

    I guess I am going to hear nepo baby!😏

    • Dutch says:

      Especially in this case, because Bronny isn’t a very good player by NBA standards. He’ll spend way more time in the G League than the NBA this year.

    • Mimi says:

      It certainly helped him get noticed. He was 55 in the draft, though and worked hard (through a heart attack) to get to the draft.

    • sevenblue says:

      If he talks about how who his father is didn’t affect the opportunities he got, we can surely call him out. Isn’t that issue with nepobabies? At least the ones discussed are those who can’t accept their privilege. Allison Williams (the girl in the Get Out) gave a nondelusional answer about her privilege thanks to her dad, so I don’t see anyone clowning her.

  2. Molly says:

    Surely keeping Dad in the fold for another year, and the added PR for the team, was a factor. I’m sure he’s good and all, but in all fairness – what other player would be drafted after one college season and a history of heart problems? Anyway, hope they both enjoy. LeBron has always seemed a very stand-up guy.

  3. Lady Rae says:

    I’m sure in yesterday’s post about Emma Roberts and nepotism someone commented that nepotism doesn’t happen in sports because there’s so many talented players. I don’t know if he’s talented or not but it is suspicious that he was drafted to the same team his Dad plays on.

    • JuicyLucy says:

      It think this was a very expensive way to get LeBron to re-sign up with the Lakers.

    • Dutch says:

      Children of former pro athletes are all over the pro ranks: Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Devin Booker, Patrick Mahomes, Austin Rivers, Fernando Tatis, Jr., Christian McCaffrey, etc. The Mannings are on their third generation of players with Arch playing QB at Texas this year and likely entering the NFL draft in 2025.

      What makes this special is that father and son will get to play together, which has only happened a couple of times in baseball (The Griffeys) and never in basketball. Bronny’s name , and dad leveraging his talents so he can play with this son got him drafted. There were a lot of undersized guards with mediocre stats who were left undrafted because their parents weren’t NBA All-Stars.

  4. SophieJara says:

    If folks want to play basketball with their kids they should marry taller women lol. I watched a TikTok of an MLB wife defending herself against getting trolled for not doing hair and makeup like many other MLB wives, and she pointed out that she is a D1 athlete and they are excited to have an athletics-focused marriage. Which is not to say marriage between people with different careers or interests is bad, of course not, I’m just surprised how infrequently pro athletes date other athletes. All the hobby athletes I know are always dating each other.

    • Val says:

      Seriously! I have always thought this. Texas women’s volleyball, which won its second NCAA championship, has players that are 6’4” to 6’7”. And they are GORGEOUS. NBA players should be dating them!

  5. Bumblebee says:

    I’m guessing not everyone gets medically cleared of serious heart issues and then drafted early. But he didn’t quit and this is great PR for the Lakers. So, I sincerely hope he does well and takes advantage of this opportunity that few get. And pass on his good fortune to others.

  6. Well-Wisher says:

    His Father’s dream come through….