Is LeBron James already hinting Bronny James will play only one year at USC?
Let’s be honest about a few details up front: No, LeBron James is not likely to retire, even though his remarks after the final game of the Los Angeles Lakers’ season definitely raised some eyebrows. It’s relatively normal for an aging elite athlete to say what LeBron said — “I have a lot to think about” — after a taxing season ends.
If we’re reading between the lines, LeBron’s full statement seems to be an indirect but very clear way of putting pressure on Rob Pelinka to make the roster upgrades LeBron will need to win one more NBA championship before he ultimately retires. Pelinka can’t look at LeBron’s comments and not realize what’s at stake. LeBron does not play basketball to make the conference finals; he plays to win trophies. If this is going to be worth his time and effort, Pelinka better deliver the goods. That much seems clear from LeBron’s perspective. He’s not retiring.
However, LeBron’s remarks could point to something which would affect USC and Andy Enfield: LeBron might be speeding up the timeline in which Bronny James goes to the NBA, a natural point of interest (and speculation) for anyone who follows USC hoops. Let’s explore the dimensions of this situation:
LEBRON IN HIS OWN WORDS
LeBron's extended answer on how the season went and what's next pic.twitter.com/9F3rPI3NLI
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) May 23, 2023
NO SECRET
LeBron James has made no secret of his desire to play with Bronny in the NBA. Even if LeBron is not retiring, his remarks obviously reveal a sense of urgency about the next decisions he will make and how he shapes what is left of his NBA playing career. He could be worried about his health. He could be (and likely is) applying pressure on Laker management to give him better players. Yet, part of the subtext here is that if one was to guess how many years LeBron will continue to play, the odds are now better that the number — whatever it might have been a day, week, month, or year ago — is lower. If LeBron might have thought he had four good years left heading into these playoffs, that number might now be at three. If previously three, maybe that number is now two.
BASIC MATH
If LeBron is applying pressure on Rob Pelinka and the Laker front office, we can reasonably conclude that LeBron wants the Lakers to have a championship roster next season, so that he can go after a title one last time and then — in the 2024-2025 season — enjoy a farewell tour with Bronny, and then hang up his sneakers. If that is LeBron’s plan, that would certainly point to Bronny having only one season at USC.
LEBRON'S HEALTH
There has been a lot of speculation that LeBron James’ health was more limited than he let on publicly in recent months. This could point to LeBron sitting out a season — not retiring — and then coming back the following season. If that is LeBron’s internal calculation, it opens the door for LeBron to play two more seasons, through 2025-26. Under this scenario, Bronny could play two seasons at USC and join his father for a shared season three years from now.
BRONNY'S NBA STOCK VALUE
We have talked about this point before, but LeBron’s comments offer reason to revisit the topic: If Bronny is a projected late-first-round or early-second-round pick for the 2024 NBA draft, will that be enough for him to leave, or will he (and/or his father) want a lottery pick selection or, at the very least, a top-20 pick? Do LeBron’s comments after the end of the Lakers’ season change that calculus in any way? We don’t know, but it’s another plot point to speculate about as LeBron and the Lakers face a very interesting and uncertain offseason.
