Will LeBron James stay with the Lakers? Bronny weighs in on his father’s NBA future

The early elimination of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves raised fresh questions about LeBron James’ future in the NBA. In that context, his son Bronny weighed in and shared his thoughts.

In an interview with Fox Sports, Bronny was asked whether he’d like to see his father stay with the Lakers next season. “Yeah, for sure,” the guard responded without hesitation. “However long he can come back for, it’s always a pleasure being around him.”

Bronny also spoke about how he sees his father’s motivation to continue playing at the professional level. “He’s locked in,” said the 55th pick of the 2024 Draft.

The young guard highlighted the tremendous effort LeBron puts in to stay competitive at age 40 and to continue playing at the highest level in the NBA. “The stuff he does for his body and the preparation and stuff like that, I want to take full advantage of it,” Bronny said.

Bronny reflects on the experience of playing with LeBron

In the same interview, Bronny talked about what it means to him to play alongside LeBron James in Los Angeles, forming the NBA’s first-ever father-son duo. “It’s a blessing,” he said. “I try to take full advantage of it because it’s something that a lot of people can’t have.”

The 20-year-old also explained how being teammates with the four-time NBA champion is important in every sense: “It was an amazing experience for me… Being able to learn from him, not only as a player, but as a dad. It’s a different type of relationship.”

Finally, Bronny said that as his NBA journey is just beginning, he hopes to continue learning from his father, regardless of what LeBron decides to do next season. “I’m looking forward to learning more from him, if he’s still here or not, either way. But I’m just looking forward to it.”

What has LeBron said about his future?

Immediately after Game 5 against Minnesota, which sealed the Lakers’ first-round playoff exit, speculation about a potential retirement for LeBron James began to swirl.

Asked about his future during the postgame press conference at Crypto.com Arena, LeBron was candid. “I don’t know. I don’t have the answer to that,” he said. “I’ll sit down with my wife, family and support group… have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play. We’ll see.”