LeBron James will indeed be playing alongside his son in the 2024-25 NBA season.
The future Hall of Famer reportedly is staying with the Los Angeles Lakers on a two-year, $104 million max contract that includes a player option and no-trade clause. The Athletic's Shams Charania first reported the deal.
James opted out of the final year of his contract ahead of NBA free agency, but the expectation was that he would return to the Lakers. He was eligible to sign a three-year, $162 million deal with L.A., but instead reportedly went with the two-year deal that includes a player option, allowing him to enter free agency again next summer.
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News of James' reported new deal comes one day after the Lakers introduced his son, Bronny James, after drafting the latter with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Bronny James reportedly plans to sign a standard NBA contract with multiple guaranteed seasons.
LeBron and Bronny James will have a chance to become the first father-son duo in NBA history to play in the league at the same time, let alone on the same team.
James, 39, is entering his 22nd NBA season. He averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game in 2023-24 — his sixth season with the Lakers — was named to his record-setting 20th NBA All-Star Game and earned third-team All-NBA honors.
The Lakers went 47-35 during the regular season and was eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs for the second straight year. The team fired head coach Darvin Ham shortly after and replaced him with JJ Redick, James' co-host on the "Mind the Game" podcast.
