LeBron James has reached an agreement with the Los Angeles Lakers to extend his contract for two years and US$104 million, ESPN and The Athletic reported on Wednesday.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer and the only player with 20 All-Star selections in his career, LeBron will turn 40 in December but continues to play at an exceptional level despite his age.
LeBron, with four NBA rings in his career (one of them with the Lakers in 2020), will also share a team with his son Bronny James after the purple and gold franchise selected the youngster in the second round of the last draft.
Led by Anthony Davis and LeBron, the Lakers fell in the first round of the playoffs last season against the Denver Nuggets and also saw their eternal rivals, the Boston Celtics, overtake them with their 18th title (the Los Angeles team has 17).
LeBron’s new deal with the Lakers includes a player option for the second year as well as a no-trade clause.
With all this, LeBron, now in his 22nd season in the NBA, and Bronny will make history as the first father-son duo to play at the same time in the league.
Both will be under the command of JJ Redick, a former NBA player with no previous coaching experience but who has been chosen by the Lakers to sit on their bench in place of Darvin Ham.
Last season, LeBron averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game with the Lakers.
LeBron’s renewal with the Californians, which was the most feasible scenario for both parties, comes after he renounced his player option for one more year and there were rumors that he would be willing to lower his salary so that the Lakers could reinforce the roster with heavyweight players, something that ultimately did not happen.
One of the names that was heard was that of Klay Thompson, who ultimately left the Golden State Warriors, where he formed a memorable combo with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, to go to Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks.
Before returning to action with the Lakers, LeBron has a new challenge this summer, but this time it will be with the United States national team, which will seek gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a star-studded squad that also includes the aforementioned Curry and Kevin Durant.
He will play alongside his son Bronny
Bronny James, son of LeBron James, has signed a four-year, $7.9 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, The Athletic and ESPN reported on Wednesday.
The first three years of the contract will be guaranteed and the fourth will be a team option for the Lakers.
With all this, LeBron (39 years old) and Bronny (19) will make history as the first father-son duo to play at the same time in the NBA.
Bronny was selected by the Lakers with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA draft.
Second-round players are not generally guaranteed a present or future in the league, so this rookie contract with the Lakers represents a significant cushion for Bronny to take his first steps in the NBA.
Bronny first gained attention in his high school days with the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers before making his NCAA debut last season with USC, one of the most prestigious universities in the United States both academically and athletically.
Before the season began, Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest in the summer of 2023. After months of recovery and medical tests, the youngster debuted in December with USC and ended up averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.4 minutes per game.
Source: Gestion
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