Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James shows his age on occasion.
He’s fond of artists like Jeezy, who became popular in the mid-2000s. His head hair balding and his facial hair is greying. He drinks wine with the gusto of a 50-year-old Frenchman.
However, on the basketball court, the only way to know is to compare his current athletic feats to what he was 10-20 years ago. James was jumping out of the gym and leaving defenders in his dust in his 20s. Nowadays, he’s more reliant on his strength and footwork than aerial assaults and an explosive first step. Yet, he’s still more athletic than at least 80 percent of the league, and that’s a conservative figure.
LeBron James Leaves Door Open To Playing With Youngest Son, Bryce James
On Wednesday, James continued to defy expectations, scoring a team-high 26 points on 9-13 shooting from the field in the Lakers’ loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. It almost looked too easy for him. The 39-year-old is now averaging 21.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.6 assists in (a career-low) 33.6 minutes per game. He’s shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three.
Though his contract is set to expire in 2026, it’s worth wondering whether James will play past that date. One of his former teammates, Cavs center Tristan Thompson, believes he will. In fact, Thompson thinks that James can play long enough to share the court with his youngest son, Bryce James.
When asked about his friend’s comments, LeBron left something to the imagination:
“Bryce is a senior. I don’t know. We’ll see. We’ll see. That would be pretty cool. It’s all about my mind and then seeing how my body reacts over these next couple of years.” (per cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor)
It’s All Up To LeBron
Bryce is currently rated as a three-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals but a four-star recruit by On3 and ESPN. That being said, he’s on a similar trajectory as Bronny James, who only became a consensus four-star prospect after his senior year. In fact, Bronny became something of a hot commodity after his performances at the McDonald’s All-American Game and Nike Hoop Summit.
As a high school recruit, Bronny ended up with offers from six colleges: USC, Kentucky, Memphis, Michigan, Ohio State, and Oregon.
Bryce currently has two offers — one from Ohio State and one from Duquesne. With a strong showing in his senior year, more offers could flow in. However, if it comes down to the Buckeyes or the Dukes, the Cleveland-born two-guard will have to decide between playing for his home state team and one coached by his father’s former teammate.
Now just because Bryce isn’t currently considered an elite recruit doesn’t mean he won’t turn heads in college. Furthermore, due to the amount of influence his dad wields, he has a chance to make the NBA no matter how the next couple of years pan out. That’s not to dig at Bronny, who had an all but forgettable freshman season at USC. It’s simply the reality of the situation.
That being said, if LeBron wants to play alongside Bryce, it may just come down to whether he stays in the NBA long enough. There’s no doubt that he wants to see him reach the NBA and to play alongside him though.
“It’s the greatest thing in the world,” LeBron says of Bronny playing in the NBA. “Kids always have these dreams when they’re super young and, as parents, you just, you try to put them in a position to, at one point, throughout their lives, that maybe that dream can become a reality if that’s what they want to do.”
“He said from day one, his little brother said from day one, the game of basketball is what they love and that’s what they want to do.”
