LeBron James

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is a proud father, and he admitted Thursday to getting very emotional about watching his two sons, Bronny and Bryce, play in a competitive game together for the first time ever.

Man I'm literally watching Bronny and Bryce on the court together for the first time in a game situation!! This is INSANE!! I'm EMOTIONAL AF!! WOW

— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 11, 2022

Bronny and Bryce suited up Thursday for the California Basketball Club, whose roster also features the sons of former NBA stars Penny Hardaway and Scottie Pippen.

The California Basketball Club is in Europe for the next 12 days to compete against teams from London, Paris and Rome. The team's first game was Thursday against London at 3 p.m. ET, and it didn't take long for James to share his excitement about watching Bronny and Bryce.

Bronny is entering his senior year of high school and will be eligible for the 2024 NBA draft. James has been very open about wanting to play alongside Bronny in the NBA, so it might not be long until we see the duo team up on the biggest stage.

Bryce, meanwhile, is just 15 years old and it'll be a while before people begin to talk about his NBA potential.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is reportedly considered the front-runner to own an NBA expansion franchise in Las Vegas.

During a discussion on his On The Ball with Ric Bucher podcast (h/t Hoops Hype), FS1 NBA insider Ric Bucher said LeBron is in the "pole position" to serve as an NBA owner in Las Vegas.

Bucher added that he has been told Las Vegas and Seattle expansion teams are in the works and could be announced as soon as the NBA's next television deals. The NBA's current TV contracts with ESPN and Turner Sports run through the 2024-25 season.

If the NBA and James have mutual interest in him owning an expansion franchise in Vegas, the timeline of the TV deals could be a clue to when he plans to retire.

LeBron is currently 37 years old, meaning he will be 40 by the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

At that point, James could retire and conclude an illustrious, 22-year NBA career in which he established himself as one of the all-time greats, although that isn't necessarily a guarantee.

LeBron could both own and play for a Las Vegas franchise, but with the turnaround of at least two years between a franchise getting announced and playing for the first time, that may not be viable.

James has been vocal about his desire to play alongside his son, Bronny, in the NBA at some point, though, which is something that could compel him to extend his career.

Bronny is part of the 2023 recruiting class, meaning he could conceivably play in the NBA as early as the 2024-25 season. If the Lakers manage to land him and pair him with his father, it would perhaps give LeBron even more incentive to retire after the 2024-25 season, as he would have accomplished his goal.

The major North American sports leagues long vowed to stay away from Vegas, but with sports betting becoming more popular and legalized across much of the United States, the taboo is essentially gone.

The NHL expanded into Las Vegas with the Vegas Golden Knights, and the NFL allowed the Raiders to move from Oakland to Las Vegas.

It seems as though the NBA is next in line to explore that market, which makes sense given that the league hosted All-Star weekend in Vegas in 2007, well before the idea of an expansion team heated up.

James would join fellow NBA legend Michael Jordan as the only Black principal owners in the NBA, plus he would give the Las Vegas franchise the type of star power and cachet it needs to get off the ground.

LeBron has earned his way to billionaire status, and he has been open about his desire to own an NBA franchise. In fact, James said in June that he specifically wants to own a team in Vegas.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver shot down talk of imminent expansion as recently as June, but he added that the league will "invariably expand" at some point.

LeBron James and his agent Rich Paul reportedly met with Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach Darvin Ham last week to discuss the direction of the team ahead of the 2022-23 season.

According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, the majority of the meeting "was about expressing concerns, and hearing out strategies and opinions to assure there wouldn't be a repeat of last season's epic failure."

James is eligible for a two-year, $97.1 million extension this offseason. While some time was spent on contract talks, Haynes noted that the 37-year-old was more focused on figuring out how to ensure the Lakers compete for a title this season.

"James, sources said, drilled home the importance of consistent competitiveness and cohesion, noting that last season's team didn't give themselves a chance on many nights," Haynes wrote.

The Lakers went 33-49 in 2021-22 and failed to make the playoffs. The team struggled with chemistry and effort issues, as well as injuries. While James is hoping to avoid a repeat of last season, his new head coach appears to be on the same page.

Ham, who was hired to replace Frank Vogel after his firing, "agreed with James and reiterated that his main objectives are to hold everyone accountable and foster an atmosphere of selflessness," per Haynes. The former Milwaukee Bucks assistant "voiced that defensive tenacity needs to be picked up all across the roster," and he also indicated that he won't hesitate to move players into new roles or out of the lineup if they don't buy into the new strategy.

Haynes added that Ham said he intends to run the team's offense through power forward Anthony Davis, to which James agreed. Davis was limited to 40 games last season after dealing with multiple injuries, but the team reportedly is encouraged by his progress this offseason.

Los Angeles is also looking for improvement from Russell Westbrook, as Haynes noted "the team is also hopeful for a corner-three shooting percentage bump" from the star point guard this season.

In the end, the meeting was "deemed productive and informative." But it remains to be seen if it will translate to success on the court.

LeBron James learned the hard way that you shouldn't joke around when your wife is discussing important things.

The Los Angeles Lakers star posted a video to Instagram that ended with his wife, Savannah James, smacking the phone out of his hands:

LeBron and Savannah are hilarious! 😭 pic.twitter.com/DJfeZMhslj

— Bronupdates (@Bronupdates) August 7, 2022

Savannah asked LeBron about their vow renewal, but the basketball star was more interested in showing off his new outfit. The sweatsuit featured his personal logo and a breakdown of his playing career by teams and years.

While Savannah first responded to the video with an eye roll, she later smacked the phone when she realized he was still recording.

The lesson is to listen to your wife, especially in the offseason when there are no other excuses.

LeBron James is eligible to sign a contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, and there is optimism that the two sides will strike a deal to keep him in purple and gold for at least a few more years.

"All signs point toward both sides looking to extend their partnership together," ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported Friday on NBA Today. "It's already led to one championship in 2020. It's also led to two playoff appearances where they didn't make it, but overall I think both sides recognize that they can help one another get to their mutual goal, which is to compete at a high level and stay relevant as both one of the best players in the NBA and one of the most marquee franchises in the NBA."

James is entering the final year of his contract with the Lakers in 2022-23 and is eligible to sign a two-year, $97.1 million extension that would keep him in L.A. through the 2024-25 season.

The four-time NBA champion will be 38 by the time his current deal expires. Under the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, any player 38 or older is only eligible to sign a two-year contract.

James' agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, told McMenamin that the two sides had a "productive" discussion together Thursday. They met with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and new head coach Darvin Ham.

Thursday was the first day James was eligible to sign an extension. He has until June 30, 2023, to put pen to paper on a new deal before he becomes a free agent.

Regardless of how his potential extension turns out, James has said he wants to play with his oldest son, Bronny, in the NBA before retiring. Bronny will enter his senior year of high school this fall and is eligible for the 2024 NBA draft.

"My last year will be played with my son," James said in an interview with The Athletic's Jason Lloyd in February. "Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point."

James, who is entering his fifth season with the Lakers, showed no signs of slowing down during the 2021-22 campaign despite the Purple and Gold missing the playoffs. He averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 56 games while shooting 52.4 percent from the floor and 35.9 percent from deep.

The 18-time All-Star is expected to play just as well in 2022-23, though he'll hope his efforts pay off with a berth in the playoffs and another NBA title.

LeBron James is now eligible for a contract extension, and he and the Los Angeles Lakers apparently got off on the right foot Thursday.

Rich Paul, who is James' representative with Klutch Sports, said contract discussions between the two sides were "productive" and will be ongoing after he and James met with Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

James' current contract is set to expire after the 2022-23 season, and his long-term status figures to be one of the most intriguing storylines of the entire league until he signs a new deal.

Perhaps complicating things from the Lakers' perspective is James' repeated insistence that he wants to play with his son, Bronny. Bronny will be eligible for the 2024 NBA draft, so James signing a long-term deal with Los Angeles or anywhere else before that would complicate his efforts to team up with his son.

There is also an age factor, as James turns 38 years old in December.

He has shown few signs of slowing down when he is on the court, but he played just 56 games last season, 45 games in 2020-21 and 55 games in 2018-19. The wear-and-tear on his body after such a long career with numerous deep playoff runs is a storyline worth monitoring even if he seems to defy age when he is on the floor.

The 18-time All-Star averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per game last season and likely would have been included in the MVP discussion if he played more games or if the 33-49 Lakers were better.

As the roster currently stands, Los Angeles will look largely the same with James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook as the featured pieces next season. It is difficult to imagine it going from out of the playoffs altogether to winning a title without significant improvements, so James may also look elsewhere to improve his chances at a fifth ring on his next deal.

The Lakers can at least take solace knowing that the discussions have been "productive" to this point, but there are plenty of factors in play that could determine where James ends up next.

LeBron James is eligible to sign a two-year, $97.1 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, and the expectation is he will sign a new deal "in some form," per Kurt Helin of NBC Sports.

"LeBron does not give off the vibe of a guy looking to bolt Los Angeles," Helin noted.

Helin reported those around the league expect James to sign a "1+1 deal," which locks him in through the 2023-24 season while adding a player option for 2024-25. Without a new contract, the superstar would become a free agent in 2023.

Flexibility could be important for James, especially after the Lakers' struggles over the past year. The squad finished 33-49 and fell short of the play-in tournament.

While the team is hoping a healthy LeBron and Anthony Davis are enough to get back into title contention, the Lakers have otherwise made few impact moves this offseason.

The 37-year-old could also want to keep his options open in 2024 when his son, Bronny James, is eligible for the NBA draft.

"My last year will be played with my son," James told Jason Lloyd of The Athletic in February. "Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point."

James later confirmed the plan in May on Twitter.

If he is a free agent that offseason, the 18-time All-Star could just wait to see where Bronny lands and sign there. Considering the Lakers don't have a first-round draft pick that year, it might be difficult to pull off the package deal.

James is still seemingly content to stay with the Lakers, at least for another two seasons. Helin reported "his family is comfortable in Los Angeles," while Joe Vardon of The Athletic previously reported "the people closest to him said he was happy in Los Angeles."

It adds up to a likely extension this summer.

It's been an intriguing offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers, to say the least. The franchise hired a new head coach in Darvin Ham, is awaiting a decision from LeBron James about his future—he can sign an extension as early as today—and has been at the center of Kyrie Irving trade rumors.

Los Angeles also still has Russell Westbrook on its roster after last year's high-profile acquisition flopped in 2021-22.

With the offseason beginning to wind down—the preseason kicks off in early October—the Lakers still don't know if acquiring Irving from the Brooklyn Nets is realistic. Making the move would require moving Westbrook and his $47 million salary and would most likely require a third team to get involved.

Los Angeles may have to wait for Brooklyn to decide Kevin Durant's future before it pivots to Irving. Durant requested a trade at the onset of the offseason, but no deal has materialized yet.

There's also the matter of trade compensation. According to The Athletic's Jovan Buha, Brooklyn wants two first-round picks, which L.A. isn't willing to surrender just yet. This only adds to the reality that an Irving trade isn't happening soon.

"The Lakers haven't been willing to give up more than one in any trade negotiations," Buha wrote. "I think that will change for the right deal, such as an Irving trade. But the Lakers aren't going to budge, if they even do, until they feel like they must. They're not at that point yet."

The Lakers have also been linked to Buddy Hield and Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers, but again, the likely cost of two first-round picks seems to be a holdup.

"I think the Lakers would acquire Hield and Turner if the asking price was only one future first-round pick," Buha wrote.

If a favorable trade materializes, great. For now, though, it's time for the Lakers to put Irving on the back burner and focus on the current roster and the coming season. Yes, that includes Westbrook.

There's no way to sugarcoat the fact that Westbrook was a disappointment last season. He averaged 18.5 points—his lowest since the 2009-10 season—while shooting just 29.8 percent from three-point range and serving as a defensive liability.

To be fair, though, that was under former head coach Frank Vogel and with one of the most underwhelming supporting casts in the league. The Lakers also dealt with significant injuries to James and Anthony Davis, which did not help matters.

With James and/or Davis out of most games, Westbrook was forced to serve as a centerpiece. With a poor group of support players, the results were less than desirable. Things could be much different under Ham, especially if James and Davis can stay healthy for the bulk of the campaign.

At least some in the Lakers organization are eager to see what Ham can get out of Westbrook this season.

"From what I’ve heard, elements within the Lakers that really want to give Darvin Ham a shot at (using Westbrook)," Heavy Sports NBA insider Steve Bulpett said, per Heavy's Sean Deveney. "He's a different kind of dude. He is not going to put up with the weirdness we have seen in L.A., with that organization. He is the kind of guy who will get through to players."

Westbrook and Vogel clashed, that much is now obvious. Westbrook has indicated as much.

"I think it's unfortunate, to be honest, because I've never had an issue with any of my coaches before," Westbrook said in April, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "I'm not sure what his issue was with me or I'm not sure why, but I can't really give you an answer to why we really never connected."

Ham may be able to convince Westbrook to play his role where Vogel could not—and that role may not be as a starter.

"Lakers head coach Darvin Ham will have more power to bench Westbrook down the stretch of games, according to league sources," Buha wrote. "That could eventually extend to removing Westbrook from the starting lineup as well."

Theoretically, Ham may get more out of Westbrook by using him less. Instead of regularly being on the floor with James and Davis, he could sub one of the two and/or become the centerpiece of the second-team lineup.

Instead of having Westbrook as the third option, Ham could turn to a player like Austin Reaves. As a support player, Westbrook's poor defense and questionable shot selection would be much less of an issue.

This change of usage for Westbrook—along with having James and Davis available, of course—could be enough to make Los Angeles competitive this season.

The supporting cast still isn't great. The Lakers added the likes of Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones and Lonnie Walker IV in free agency and have yet to bring in another star. However, the group appears better equipped to play solid complementary basketball than last year's lineup. Last year's group felt much more like a mashup of whoever L.A. could afford to sign.

As a sixth man, Westbrook could provide enough of a tempo change to create problems for the opposition.

This doesn't mean that the Lakers can be a title contender with the current lineup. Teams like the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns will still be favored in the postseason. However, Los Angeles could be a tough out in a seven-game series.

This group could get to the playoffs and out of the coming season with a sense of respectability. From there, the Lakers could move on from Westbrook and perhaps have another shot at Irving.

"Considering the lack of current league-wide interest in acquiring him via trade, it seems like the Lakers are his most likely free-agent option next summer, other than the Nets," Buha wrote of Irving.

Los Angeles' 2023 offseason approach will hinge on James' looming decision. With Westbrook's salary off the books, the Lakers could potentially build an even more competitive roster. If James bolts for a different team, though, L.A. could be eying a complete overhaul.

"If James were to agree to an extension, the Lakers could be more aggressive in trade discussions for players with multiple years remaining on their contracts," Yahoo Sports' Dan Woike wrote. "If James passes on a long-term deal, the team, at a minimum, has a relatively clean cap sheet."

That's an issue for Ham, general manager Rob Pelinka and the Lakers to worry about later. So, too, is the prospect of a blockbuster trade because one isn't coming down the pike in the immediate future.

For now, it's time for the Lakers to move ahead with what they have.

Former NBA forward Jalen Rose is confident LeBron James will sign a contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers for reasons beyond basketball.

Rose explained his view of James' situation Wednesday on ESPN's NBA Today (3:15 mark of video).

"They know he ain't leaving now. So it don't even matter what happens with the contract. They know they got the house out here, the wife out here, they know the kids out here," Rose said. "We always think about it as LeBron James the superstar, not always LeBron James the father, the dad, the human being. I don't think he's gonna necessarily wanna uproot his family to go play somewhere else."

LeBron is entering the final season of his current contract, and he's now eligible to sign a two-year extension worth around $97 million, per Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times.

While James and his family have established roots in L.A. since he signed with the Lakers in 2018, and he's made inroads in Hollywood along the way, the 37-year-old four-time NBA MVP hasn't talked like the franchise is a lock as his final basketball destination.

In February, the 18-time All-Star told Jason Lloyd of The Athletic he was open to a third stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"The door's not closed on that," James said. "I'm not saying I'm coming back and playing, I don't know. I don't know what my future holds. I don't even know when I'm free."

He also confirmed to Lloyd an expectation he'll finish his NBA career alongside his oldest son, Bronny James, who's first eligible for the NBA draft in 2024.

"My last year will be played with my son," James said. "Wherever Bronny is at, that's where I'll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It's not about the money at that point."

Meanwhile, the four-time NBA champion named the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry as the active player he'd most like to team up with when asked on HBO's The Shop in April.

The Lakers' offseason has also been a bit underwhelming as they've been unable to complete any blockbuster moves coming off a playoff-less 33-49 campaign.

An inability to find a trade partner for point guard Russell Westbrook has hampered the front office's efforts to reshape the roster around James and Anthony Davis.

None of that is to say LeBron won't re-sign with the Lakers for two more years. That would give him time to receive more clarity on Bronny's NBA outlook without having to move the family next summer.

Whether he'll re-sign quickly or wait to see how the rest of L.A.'s offseason goes before making a decision is the key question at this stage.

So far, there's been no indication an agreement is imminent.