Lebron James has long made it known that he wants to play with his son Bronny James. But this past weekend, Lebron let the basketball world know just how serious he is about playing with his son. “My last year will be played with my son,” James said. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”. Bronny is currently a junior in high school and playing for national powerhouse Sierra Canyon. Lebron is currently 37 years old and would be entering his age 40 season when Bronny is draft eligible. With this one statement, Lebron has created a dangerous situation for the league and maybe even his son.
Lebron’s statement has created an interesting situation for the league, to say the very least. The league has already had trouble with tanking in the past; this makes the biggest tanking prize ever. What team in their right mind will pass on Bronny knowing that there also passing on Lebron and the marketing that could come with Lebron’s farewell tour, talk about a way to sell out almost every game instantly. And while Lebron will be turning 40 by the time Bronny is draft-eligible, it’s hard to imagine he won’t still be at least an all-star caliber player. Lebron has created a situation where I wouldn’t be surprised if non-contending teams started rolling out G League lineups trying to lose as many games as they can. This would be an ugly possibility for the NBA, and the league would likely have to take action against it. This is a possibility that I could see happening, especially in today’s NBA.
The other situation Lebron has created is unbelievable pressure for his son Bronny. As I said, Bronny is currently a junior in high school and, as of right now, is only projected as a second-round pick. So we’re looking at a possibility of a second-round pick being drafted first overall because he comes with Lebron. This wouldn’t be fair to Bronny or the kids deserving of the first overall pick. In a perfect world, Bronny develops a lot his senior year and in college and is worthy of the first pick. But what happens if he doesn’t, and he stays on track as a second-round pick. How would the NBA justify a second-round talent being drafted first overall in the draft? This also creates a situation for Bronny where he is pressured to spend only one year at the college level. Lebron will be coming into his age 40 season when Bronny is draft-eligible, and he may not have much time playing left. If Bronny isn’t ready for the NBA but enters the draft anyway to play with his dad, it could be detrimental to his NBA career. I believe Bronny could use the extra few years in college and enter the draft as a junior or senior. I personally can’t see him being ready for the NBA after only one year of college. It would be a shame to see this young man not reach his full potential because he isn’t ready for the NBA when he is drafted.
Obviously, Lebron isn’t purposely trying to sabotage his own son’s career, but his actions may contribute to Bronny not being the best player he could be. I understand him wanting to play with his son. It would be a great story and talked about for decades. But the timeline might not match up, and Bronny could be pressured to enter the league before he’s ready.
