NBA superstar LeBron James could be taking his talents to the Bay Area – but not at the cost of his son’s career.
After the 41-year-old superstar wrapped up his record-tying 23rd season in the league – a grueling campaign with the Lakers that ultimately culminated in a Western Conference semifinals exit at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder – his NBA future has once again been left in limbo.
With doubt cast over fate in Los Angeles, the Golden State Warriors are reportedly eyeing a pursuit of the basketball icon.
And after six years without a championship, the NBA’s all-time leading point scorer would jump at the chance – on one condition.
For LeBron, family comes first. The icon has already enjoyed his moment in the NBA spotlight – winning four championships throughout his glittering career – and now, his focus is reportedly on his son Bronny’s NBA career.
A source told The Daily Mail: ‘All the Golden State talk is legit, and LeBron is very interested in going there, but by leaving, he is going to leave his son high and dry and he won’t be there to protect his career that most believe only exists because of him in the first place.
The Golden State Warriors are said to be pursuing LeBron James this offseason
However, the NBA superstar’s priority is his family, specifically the career of his eldest son, Bronny. Pictured left to right: LeBron, Bryce James, Zhuri James, Savannah James, and Bronny
‘If LeBron ends up signing with the Lakers, he is expecting Bronny to be signed to a new contract himself. If the Lakers don’t promise that, then he will head to Golden State immediately.’
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for LeBron and the Klutch Sports Group for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
LeBron and his eldest son Bronny became the first father-son duo to play on the same NBA team when the latter was drafted by the Lakers in the second round of the 2024 Draft.
The elder James had long expressed his desire to play with his son, making no secret of wanting to turn the league into a family affair.
There even still remains questions over whether LeBron will prolong his career into a staggering 25th season amid the prospect of his second son, Bryce, who is currently playing college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats, entering the 2027 NBA Draft.
Yet, the four-time NBA champion could be pressured by outside advice with his agent Rich Paul, who is engaged to singer Adele, is convinced Golden State is the key to a fifth – and potentially final – ring.
‘His agent Rich Paul has told LeBron to go to Golden State, especially after all the recent trades that have been going down in the NBA,’ the insider said. ‘If LeBron wants any chance and semblance to see another championship, he has been told to leave the Lakers, because he isn’t winning anything with them.’
However, there could be one element that could lure LeBron to the Bay Area: A reunion with a beloved former teammate.
The Warriors are also reportedly lining up a move for Anthony Davis in a trade with the Washington Wizards, according to ESPN.
LeBron and Bronny became the first father-son duo to play on the same NBA team in 2024
His second son, Bryce, an Arizona Wildcats, is eligible to enter the 2027 NBA Draft
LeBron’s agent Rich Paul, who is engaged to singer Adele, is reportedly convinced Golden State is the key to a fifth – and potentially final – ring for his superstar client
LeBron and Davis, who are both represented by the Klutch Sports Group agency, played seven seasons together with the Lakers, winning a championship in 2020, and have remained close friends.
Davis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in the Lakers’ shock move for Luka Doncic – a decision that was said to have taken LeBron by surprise.
And Golden State’s reported pursuit of Davis could be the latest chess move in their plot to make LeBron a warrior – it just may not be enough.
The source added: ‘If Golden State makes the trade for Anthony Davis that is rumored to entice LeBron, that will be somewhat of a reason for LeBron to come over.
‘But as much as LeBron loves Anthony, Anthony is always injured, so he would be crossing his fingers for it all to work out because Anthony is a liability no matter how many chances and millions he has made over the years.’
The news comes after a bombshell report claimed earlier this year that LeBron’s relationship with the Lakers hierarchy – and in particular Jeanie Buss – had fractured.
According to ESPN, Buss, 64, ‘privately grumbled’ about ‘what she felt was James’ outsize ego’ and also the ‘overt control’ the 41-year-old and Klutch Sports ‘exerted over the organization at times.’
Buss reportedly considered trading James across Los Angeles to the Clippers in 2022, a year after the ‘distance… widened’ between owner and star player.
The Warriors are also reportedly lining up a move for Anthony Davis to lure LeBron to Bay Area
LeBron, the NBA’s all-time leading point scorer, wrapped up his 23rd season in the league
Back in 2021, Los Angeles traded for Russell Westbrook – a move, according to ESPN, made as part of a bid to ‘appease James’. But the trade failed and Jeanie is said to have ‘privately bristled’ about James’ ‘lack of accountability’ and the way he ‘would shift blame onto others.’
ESPN also claimed that the Lakers’ controversial decision to select Bronny James in the 2024 NBA Draft was another source of frustration for Buss.
LeBron’s eldest son was taken with the 55th overall pick, allowing them to become the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA.
And it’s reported that Buss believed that James ‘should be grateful for such a gesture, but she felt that he wasn’t.’
Later that year, LeBron negotiated a new deal with the Lakers but Buss was said to be ‘ resigned to the fact’ that the team had little choice and that she ‘almost begrudgingly accepted’ that the franchise would ‘take a massive PR hit by not doing so.’
