NBA star LeBron James has reportedly re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers just days after the team took his son Bronny with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA draft.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, James and the Lakers agreed to a two-year max contract worth $104 million. The deal also includes a no-trade clause and a player option giving James the ability to choose whether to stay with the Lakers next season or become an unrestricted free agent.
The deal brings James back for his 22nd season in the league and all but confirms that he and Bronny will become the first father-son duo in NBA history to take the court together. There have been numerous instances of NBA players joining the league after their fathers did, but after their fathers’ careers had ended.
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The 19-year-old Bronny James was considered one of the top high school prospects in the country before he chose to attend the University of Southern California. His time at USC was filled with ups and downs, including a cardiac arrest incident last year that sidelined him for much of his freshman season.
Nonetheless, Bronny James declared for the NBA draft earlier this year. In his introductory press conference with the Lakers, he said he never considered the possibility of playing with his dad but was “extremely excited” that it came to fruition.
“I never really had a thought of, you know, me going to play with my dad, but that’s always there to, you know, take part of,” Bronny James said. “But that wasn’t a main focus of mine.”
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The elder James, who will turn 40 later this year, is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with more than 40,000 points, and he has also won four NBA championships — two with the Miami Heat, one with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and one in 2020 with the Lakers.
