LeBron James lived nearly every male athlete’s dream to play with his son Bronny on the same team. One could go on about how this is a testament to James’ longevity. However, this fairytale season came to an unfortunate end for the Lakers after they were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs by the Timberwolves in five games.
LeBron has, throughout the season, made it abundantly clear that Bronny got no special privileges on the team, and he treated him like any other teammate. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin observed after the Game 5 loss that LeBron spoke to his son like he would speak to any other teammate. “All right, have a good offseason. I’ll see you when I see you”, said LeBron.
As if the two aren’t going to the same house and won’t see each other throughout the off-season, let alone the preseason. LeBron has an innate ability to keep things light with his family even when he is himself under a lot of pressure. Therefore, in a moment like a disappointing exit from the Playoffs, James still found the time to remind his son that he is still his teammate.
A conventional teammate would expect to only see their teammate again when practice resumes for the team after the offseason. Therefore, this statement was a hilarious but subtle reminder to Bronny that his father is still his teammate and won’t treat him differently because he is his son.
What’s Next For LeBron James And His Son Bronny?
LeBron James is nearing the end of his NBA career. When asked about his retirement plans, James avoided giving a definitive timeline once again and said he hadn’t thought about retirement just yet. Winning a championship with his son could be the next target for James in the coming season. That would be a cherry on the cake for LeBron, as playing on the same team is one thing, but winning it all with your son would be a different level of happiness.
Bronny James was on a different path, which was devoid of any significant minutes in the game and required spending most of the season in the G League. Even in the post-game press conference after Game 5, Bronny confirmed that he will be participating in the Summer League next season for the Lakers. Whether Bronny James can break into the rotation next season is the obvious next test for LeBron’s son.
How LeBron James Performed In The Minnesota Timberwolves Series
At age 40, LeBron started all 5 games for the Lakers in this series. LeBron James averaged 25.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists. His best performance individually came in Game 3 at Minnesota, where he dropped 38 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists. Even at this age, LeBron played like a first-team All-NBA level player and left it all on the court.
Lakers entered this series as the favorites to win, since they had never been eliminated in the first round after being a No. 3 seed or higher in the regular season. Moreover, the last time they came to the playoffs after a 50-win season, they won the championship in the 2020 COVID-19 Bubble season.
Anthony Edwards, the star of this series and the No. 1 option for the Timberwolves, also indirectly acknowledged that LeBron is the best player of all time and beating him added a higher level of satisfaction for Edwards. How long can LeBron James keep up with this level of performance? Is it time for him to hang up the boots? Or is he capable of leading the Lakers to another championship next season? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
