Lakers Star LeBron James Doubles Down on Future Plan After Game 3 Win

Getty LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron James helped guide the Los Angeles Lakers to a Game 3 win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, which was part of a big day for the superstar forward.

Prior to the clash — which the Lakers won 127-97 — it was announced that James’ son, Bronny, committed to USC to play college basketball. The four-time MVP was beaming with pride talking about his son.

“One of the best days of my life,” LeBron James said. “First of all, congratulations to Bronny on the decision he made. I’m super proud of him, our family is proud of him. For me personally, it’s even more special to me because it’s the first time someone out go my family to go to college. Obviously I didn’t go to college. It’s just a proud moment to see my son go to college, and he’s the first one to go college in my family. Super duper proud, super emotional, but just super duper excited and happy for his journey. Today was a proud day. I couldn’t lose today no matter the outcome of this game.”

That also brought into focus a plan for LeBron’s future, which he has talked about often. The Lakers star has made it clear he wants to play with Bronny in the NBA one day. There are some hurdles to clear to make that happen — including Bronny developing into a viable NBA player — but it’s something the elder James is still planning on.

“I’m still serious about it,” James said. “Obviously I’ve gotta continue to keep my body and my mind fresh. I think my mind most importantly, if my mind goes, then my body will just go ‘okay, what are we doing?’ But at the end of the day, if I am, if I’m not, I’ve done what I have to do in this league.”

LeBron James Not Slowing Down With Age

LeBron will turn 39 next season, so by the time he and Bronny can play together he’ll be 40 years old and 22 seasons into his NBA career.

As of now, there aren’t a ton of worries about James slowing down, although Father Time is undefeated — even against an athlete of James’ caliber. He played 35.5 minutes per game during the regular season with the Lakers, averaging 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game.

“Just because it’s my aspiration [to play together] doesn’t mean it’s his, and I’m absolutely OK with that,” James added. “My job is just to support my son in whatever he wants to do. … One thing about being a parent is it’s not always about what you want. It’s about listening to your kids and what they want, and that’s when you get a real relationship.”

ESPN did a very early mock draft for the 2024 class and ranked Bronny James within the top 10.

LeBron James Gives Advice to Young Lakers Teammates

GettyLeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Lakers.

The Lakers took a 2-1 edge in the Western Conference Semifinal series against the Warriors, which was a nice bounceback effort after getting blown out in Game 2. James started slow but finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in Game 3.

James is the most experienced postseason player in NBA history, with 275 postseason games on his resume. He knows the ebbs and flows of playoff basketball and the coverage around it, which led him to drop some knowledge on his younger teammates.

“For the young guys that haven’t been a part of the postseason or haven’t had much experience in the postseason, just stay off the TV and stay off social media,” James said. “You win a game, everybody is the greatest player in the world; you lose a game, they’re throwing dirt on you. It’s literally that simple. It’s all about training your mind for the next challenge. And, ‘What’s the next challenge? This game is over with, we played well. OK, cool. But we got another on Monday.'”

Game 4 is scheduled for Monday in Los Angeles.