LeBron James shuts down Bryce speculation: ‘I’m not waiting on my son’ for retirement decision

After a historic season with son Bronny, LeBron James insists he won’t wait on Bryce’s timeline as he weighs his NBA future.

LeBron James remains clear that the moment he decides to step away from basketball will be fueled by nothing but himself. During a recent press conference, James addressed a burning question in the sports world: Will he retire or stay on the court long enough to play with his second son, Bryce?

“No. I’m not waiting on Bryce. No,” James explained. “I don’t know what his timeline is. He’s his own young man now. We’ll see what happens this year, next year, but he has his own timeline. I got my timeline, and I don’t know if they quite match up, but we’ll see.”

Last season, James and his eldest son, Bronny, made history as the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA. Now, the Los Angeles Lakers star is gearing up for what could be another historic moment, a 23rd NBA season. James, who sustained a knee injury at the end of the last season, says his decision to return for another season was fueled by his children, Bronny, 20, Bryce, 18, and Zhuri, 10.

“They’re like ‘Dad, continue on your dream. This is your dream. Continue on your focus. You’ve been here for us this whole time,’” he told the Associated Press. “When you have that type of support… it makes it a lot easier.”

“At this point of my career, you think about when the end is. That’s human nature,” he added. “You think: Is it this year? Or next year? Those thoughts always creep into your mind at this point of the journey. But I have not given it a specific timetable, date. I’m seeing how my body and family reacts, too.”

James emphasized this message in his most recent press conference. When asked if the presence of younger players on the team had influenced his prolonged career, James quickly dismissed the question, explaining that, like every other key moment in his career, he would be checking in with his family and himself. 

“It would be literally my decision, along with my wife. You know, two of my boys are already gone. Well, one of them is somewhere around here,” he joked. Bryce is down there in Tucson, so he’s out of the house. So, it’ll be a decision between me, my wife, and my daughter. Like, it won’t be, ‘hey, having a meeting with my teammates.’ It won’t be that.”