NBA free agency is underway, and the biggest name on the market, former Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, has yet to decide where he will sign and, in all likelihood, finish his legendary career.
Interestingly, the news broke that James would not be returning to the Lakers a day after his son, Bronny James, who also plays for the Lakers, had his full $2.3 million contract guaranteed. However, the expectation amongst fans and pundits is still largely that wihout his father on the Lakers’ roster, Bronny’s time on the West Coast may be nearing its end.
Now, the rumor mill and whisper factory are up and running, and they’re producing some noise on where the younger James might end up, and if it comes to pass fans in Northeast Ohio will be thrilled.
The streets know
“Someone who reached out to me in the past and was right about LeBron breaking his hand before anyone else had it out there reached out to me yesterday and late last night,” ESPN Cleveland’s Emmett Golden said on his radio show.
🚨🚨🚨The streets are talking and they’re telling @egoldie80 that LeBron and Bronny are coming home 👀👀👀
“Someone who reached out to me in the past and was right… reached out to me yesterday, late last night… Bron and Bronny back to Cleveland” 😯😯😯 pic.twitter.com/7ZF0W3Dnlc
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 9, 2026
“And said, ‘I got a little word on the street for you: Bron and Bronny back to Cleveland.”
Golden also touched on how the people at the local level tend to know what James will do before national media has any idea what the league’s all-time leading scorer is thinking.
“One thing is for sure: The business never really knows where LeBron is moving, the streets do. A lot of times, the streets do.”
There’s more
That’s not all, either. Bronny was reportedly golfing with his father in Cleveland over the weekend, and had to borrow a three-wood, under one condition.
“His son Bronny was with him and he borrowed a three wood, with a promise to return it,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported.
Bronny was golfing with LeBron in Cleveland and had to borrow a golf club with the promise to bring it back at a later date, per @WindhorstESPN
“His son Bronny was with him and he borrowed a three wood, with a promise to return it.”
(h/t @SMHighlights1) pic.twitter.com/DnirhQiCJC
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) July 9, 2026
The rumors beg the question of how Bronny would faciliate a move to Cleveland to join his father, considering he rostered by a franchise on the other coast, but LeBron and the Lakers seem to have left on good terms, so Los Angeles may be willing to work with the James camp to faciliate a trade. Nothing has been confirmed, but with the Cavaliers, 76ers, and Heat seeming to emerge as the three finalists in the James, a father-son return to Akron seems like the perfect storybook ending for one of the greatest careers in league history.
And it just might be the perfect place for the younger James to start leaving his own mark on the league.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.