Many of the top NBA free agency moves in the last few decades have revolved around LeBron James. On Saturday, in a piece from Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, James said one particular way to get him on board is to draft his son Bronny:
LeBron James’ message to all 30 teams is clear: If you want me, draft Bronny.
“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.” @KingJames
✍️@ByJasonLloydhttps://t.co/LrWR2O4oX5 pic.twitter.com/MzkVc12ho0
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) February 19, 2022
Here’s more from that piece:
James said Saturday he’ll go anywhere to play with his son, Bronny James.
Bronny is a high school junior. Under the league’s current system, he wouldn’t be draft-eligible for two more years, leaving James in contract purgatory for one year. The league could change its stance to allow high school players to go directly to the NBA, which would align Bronny’s draft eligibility with James’ current contract status. The league changing the rule before then, however, seems unlikely.
Nevertheless, James’ message to all 30 teams Saturday was clear: If you want me, draft Bronny.
“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.”
That’s certainly an interesting comment from James, and that could lead to a lot more draft interest in Bronny James than we might see otherwise. If picking him comes with signing his dad for a a year, and at a rate where it’s “not about the money,” that’s significantly better than picking him would be on its own merits. As Lloyd notes, we’re still not likely to see Bronny James drafted for two more years yet, so this is all a ways down the road. But it is interesting to hear LeBron James talk about how much he wants to play with his son (something we have seen before in some leagues, including with Gordie, Mark and Marty Howe in the WHA and NHL and with Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. in MLB). And that will certainly be worth keeping an eye on in the years ahead.
