Once the 2023-23 NBA season officially ended for the Los Angeles Lakers, with the storied franchise falling to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA playoffs in five games, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the team’s immediate future.
Although several things needed to be done during the offseason, the team’s top priority was convincing superstar forward LeBron James to re-sign after he inevitably opted out of his deal to secure a new long-term contract.
Even though all signs pointed to James returning to the Lakers on a deal that could span over the next three seasons, there was some doubt he’d be back if some things weren’t leaning in his favor. One of those things was presumably the team drafting his son Bronny James, and the other was hiring his former co-host JJ Redick as the new head coach in Los Angeles, even though he has no coaching experience.
With the Lakers brass hiring Redick and then drafting Bronny James, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that LeBron James would return and that he did on a two-year deal with a player option in the second year. It’s safe to say the four-time NBA champion, who will turn 40 in December, is taking it year by year, and former NBA player Kenny Smith believes it is only a matter of time before the superstar retires in a Lakers jersey, according to DJ Siddiqi of Responsible Gambling.
“I think he ends his career as a Laker — that’s just my personal opinion,” says Smith with no hesitation. “I haven’t spoken to him, or anyone with that influence.”
At this point, LeBron James’ future seems tied to the Lakers franchise. He could call it a career after the upcoming season after playing alongside his son or opt into the final year of his deal to set up a farewell tour during the 2025-26 NBA season.
With so much that could and will happen over the course of next season and beyond, there’s no telling when the future Hall of Famer will call it a career. However, he is still going strong and is arguably among the elite players in the league, so there’s no putting a timetable on when he might retire because he’s already been able to hold Father Time at bay for longer than expected.
LeBron James won’t let Bronny call him dad while at work
The Los Angeles Lakers are on the cusp of having the first father-son duo in NBA history, with the team bringing in LeBron James’ son Bronny James with their second-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Now that these two from the same household will be teammates on the NBA level, LeBron James has set some guidelines, namely what he can and can’t call him in the workplace. His son calling him “dad” is out of bounds, which is perfectly understandable.