Reality Check: Can Bronny James Fulfill LeBron James’ Father-Son NBA Dream?

The King of basketball LeBron James had previously expressed his desire to play with his kids in the NBA. While his younger son Bryce is yet to make his college basketball debut, his elder son Bronny who plays for the University of Southern California Trojans looks closer to realizing his father’s dream.

But the journey isn’t as smooth as it looks. Will the Akron Hammer ever be able to fulfill his choice of playing with his sons? A more detailed look might bring us near some answers since it is mostly speculative. 

LeBron’s retirement

LeBron had stated that he would be considering retirement during the offseason post his team lost in the 2023 Western Conference Finals. Fast Forward to two months later he confirmed that he would be returning to the season. At 38 years of age James is the oldest active NBA player at this point of time.

As per Sporting News, James divulged that he had been thinking of retirement for quite sometime now “When the season ended, I said I wasn’t sure if I was going to keep playing.” And he used to ask himself with a neutral perspective if he could “give everything to the game still?” He further in his flamboyant style remarked “The day I can’t give everything on the floor is the day I’ll be done. Lucky for you guys, that day is not today.”

James can become an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 off-season although he has a contract 2024-25 season, but it has been made in such a way that he can sign with the team with his choice in the 2024 or 25 off-season. Hence, another question to consider is whether The King will be playing till the time his son enters the NBA.

Read More: With Kansas Stumbling Out, Can Purdue Maintain Number 1 NCAA Status?

If James is still determined to play on the same team as his oldest son, his contract is structured in a way that he could sign with any team of his choosing in either the 2024 or 2025 offseason.

A setback to James family

Things were going smooth for Bronny when he suddenly suffered a cardiac arrest during a practice session with the USC Trojans in Los Angeles on July 24. The chief cause of the unprecedented incident was found to be a congenital heart defect. This came as a setback for the James family since they were anticipating Bronny’s smooth transition to the NCAA basketball circuit.

He was taken to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center immediately where doctors evaluated his condition. Thankfully the root cause was recognized to be treatable it was nonetheless a big issue considering Bronny is a sportsman and has a high-stakes career ahead of him. The spokesman divulged that the Chosen One and his family were “very confident in Bronny’s full recovery and return to basketball in the very near future.”

Although he was discharged within two days, Bronny took his time before coming back to the court. LeBron then posted a video of Bronny on July 29 in which he was seen playing the piano at his home post where he gave an innocent smile and stood up. To some extent, it did signal that Bronny was fine but it would take him more time before returning to the hardwood.

Bronny’s return

Bronny then practiced in warmups for the first time in November before the USC clashed with the Brown. He undertook another pregame warmup when his team locked horns with the Seton hall. He was also seen dropping some points through the corner. By the end of the eleventh month he was cleared to play by the doctors and decided to start his balling practice soon.

Bronny then played a limited role in practices before getting approval for full-contact practices. The 19-year-old then had two full-contact sessions and was cleared to pay against the Long Beach State. The Ohio-born was seen adjusting to his team’s strategies in their first game and couldn’t make much of an impact as he could only ply his trade for 16 minutes in which he potted four points with three rebounds.

He then made his next appearance in the contest against the Auburn Tigers. The Trojans had lost against the Long State and they were also decimated against the Auburn. Bronny played for 14 minutes this time, dropping 5 points with 2 rebounds. Though he had a decent free throw percentage in these games with 50% and 75%, his field goal and three-pointer conversion rate wasn’t much to be looked at. Hence, it is clear that Bronny is adjusting to the college basketball circuit.

Will Bronny fulfill LeBron’s desire?

Going by the current situation, it is unlikely that Bronny will play in the 2024-25 NBA season. While his health conditions have pulled him back previously, he also looks to be adjusting to the college basketball circuit right now. Plus he also doesn’t have much time in his hand since James is also getting older.

Positively for the fans and Bronny, his father hasn’t shown a serious take on retirement, but still, Bronny will have to make sure to leave the college basketball circuit as soon as possible if he wants to get a chance to play in the cash-rich league with his dad.

Watch This Story: Sending Shockwaves in The Basketball World, Know 18YO MiLaysia Fulwiley’s Story

Therefore, Bronny’s NBA selection in time looks a little on the unlikely side, but if he becomes a mainstay member of the USC and displays his talent who knows it might just get the NBA teams to vie for him and select him in the next draft.