As the 2023-24 NBA season is set to officially start today, talk about the longevity of LeBron James’ basketball career is storming through the media as he heads into his 20th season. With talks about retirement in the near future, James has reassured the media that he is trying to stay in the league as long as possible.
James has stated that he hopes to play alongside both of his sons, Bryce and Bronny, in the NBA one day.
James has built a career set to go up against the best of the best. From his early days as a Cleveland Cavalier back in 2003, to now being a part of one of the NBA’s historic franchises, the Los Angeles Lakers, James has been compared to players such as Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan as the greatest player to ever step on an NBA court.
At the 2023 Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards on July 12, James explained his outlook on his career following the Lakers playoff loss at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 Western Conference Finals. With many wondering whether or not James would call it quits, James stepped to the front of the stage to speak on behalf of himself, rather than let the media speak for him.
“I don’t care how many more points I score or what I can or cannot do on the floor,” James said at the event. “The real question for me is: Can I play without cheating this game? The day I can’t give everything on the floor is the day I’ll be done. Lucky for you guys, that day is not today.”
With all that James has accomplished, both of his sons battle with criticism and the thought of living up to their father’s reputation. When talking about the idea of playing alongside one of the all-time greats, the idea seems like an opportunity that can’t be passed up. But the question of whether or not the child would enjoy that experience comes into play.
Korey Foreman, junior defensive lineman for the USC football team, said he admires the idea of playing with his father knowing the competitive nature they would bring to the table.
“If my dad told me he wanted to play with me, it’d be a blessing,” Foreman said. “I’m already knowing that he’s putting in 20 times the extra work to maintain the years he wasn’t able to do so. It wouldn’t be coming home at night and asking how practice was, I’d either be running him over or he’d be running me over.”
USC senior and member of USC’s song girl team Zariah Rouse believes she should receive the spotlight aside from what her parents have done in the past.
“I feel like now it’s my era to shine,” Rouse said. “They kind of had their time. I think it’d be cool in some way. But I don’t think it’s for me because I wouldn’t want to compete in the same competition.”
Andrew Silvia, member of the Facilities Planning and Management team at USC, said he knows if his father were to ever team up with him, the production value would decrease because of the way in which the two compete against each other.
“Would I want to play on the same team as my father? Absolutely not,” Silvia said. “We would constantly want to one-up each other. It would not make Thanksgiving dinner any easier.”
Aaron Wilson, USC junior studying international relations and global business, said it would be an enjoyable experience being out there competing with his dad because of the relationship they built among each other.
“I think it’d be a fun opportunity to play with another generation but also someone who is related to me,” Wilson said. “It’d be fun to butt heads a little bit and compete knowing it’s my parents.”
There is still time before any decisions are made about the James’ family future. It will be about a year before Bronny will be in the talks about potentially getting drafted, as he is currently enrolled at USC. Bryce just started his sophomore year in high school, playing for Notre Dame High School.
Even with a difference in opinion about competing alongside your parents, the accolades James has racked up through 20 seasons is something special. As the oldest player listed for the season, James continued his legacy starting today in Denver, Colorado for a Western Conference Finals rematch against the Nuggets.