Move over, Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr.
LeBron James and his son Bronny are officially teaming up.
According to The Athletic, the elder James agreed to a two-year, $104 million extension with the Lakers Wednesday morning, a day after Bronny, the 55th overall pick in last week’s NBA Draft, signed a four-year deal worth roughly $8 million. Bronny’s contract has a team-option in the fourth season. Barring something unforeseen, the Jameses will become the first father-son pair to take the court together in NBA history.
The deal includes a player option for the second year, making the contract a “one-plus-one” which LeBron has traditionally signed for years as a leverage play. LeBron will turn 40 in December, and the contract structure allows him to take his career by year as he nears the end of it.
The extension, which includes a no-trade clause, comes less than a week after LeBron opted out of his player option for next season. He is also just the second player in the NBA to have a no-trade clause, joining Suns guard Bradley Beal. ESPN reported there are ongoing conversations between Rich Paul, who reps both Jameses, and the Lakers for LeBron to take $1 million less than the max as a way to keep the Lakers below the new second apron, which hinders teams’ ability to build their rosters.
At his introductory press conference with the Lakers on Tuesday, Bronny said he’s aware of the history he and his father will be making and all the scrutiny that will come with it.
“It’s for sure amplified the amount of pressure,” Bronny James said. “I’ve already seen it in (social) media and on the internet and stuff talking about (how) I might not deserve an opportunity. But I’ve been dealing with stuff like this for my whole life. It’s nothing different. It’s more amplified for sure, but I can get through it.”
