The NBA star recreated his 'Sports Illustrated' cover as a high school underclassman with his sons, Bronny and Bryce.
LeBron James has the ultimate family plan: to play in the NBA with both of his sons, LeBron James Jr. -- known as Bronny -- and Bryce Maximus. Whether that plan comes to fruition depends on several factors, but the father of three isn't letting that quell his hopes.
The 37-year-old was joined by his sons on the cover of the October issue of Sports Illustrated, where the trio recreated LeBron's first cover. The pro player became the first high school underclassman to appear on the Sports Illustrated cover in 2002 when he was a junior at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. This time, the "Chosen One" rocks a cutoff T-shirt with a print of that issue as he poses next to his "Chosen Sons" for the new edition.
Speaking with Chris Ballard, the star admitted that he's hoping to continue his basketball career long enough to play in the league alongside his sons someday.
"I'd definitely be looking at who got first-round picks in 2024, 2025, things of that nature; 2026, '27. I pay attention to that type of stuff," LeBron said. "I feel like I could play for quite a while. So it's all up to my body, but more importantly, my mind. If my mind can stay sharp and fresh and motivated, then the sky's not even a limit for me. I can go beyond that. But we shall see."
At 15 years old and a member of the class of 2025, Bryce currently plays for the JV team at Sierra Canyon. His older brother, Bronny, plays for Sierra Canyon's varsity team. Bryce would technically be eligible for the NBA draft in 2026, two years after 17-year-old Bronny.
The Lakers recently announced that the NBA star agreed to a two-year, $97.1 million contract extension, keeping LeBron in Los Angeles through the 2024-25 season. The extension aligns with his plans to play with Bronny for at least one season, as Bronny will be eligible for the 2024 NBA Draft, and LeBron can become a free agent that summer. Depending on how things fall out, the timing to play with both his sons could align perfectly.
Bronny has no hesitation about continuing with basketball, saying he was "born into" the sport.
And while his younger brother is more ambivalent about going into professional basketball, Bronny is hopeful about his chances. But he's not putting all his eggs in one basket!
"I feel like the path was already chosen. But my dad is cool enough to let me take whatever path I want if I wanted to not pursue basketball. But I think basketball is going to be my thing, for sure," he said. "I'll see what happens. I'm going to be playing basketball. If [I] go down that path, then it is what it is. [If the NBA doesn't pan out,] I'm cool."
The family would make history if LeBron makes his dream come true and plays with either Bronny or Bryce, becoming the first father-son duo to play in the NBA. Only three others -- Tim Raines (MLB), Ken Griffey (MLB) and Gordie Howe (NHL) -- have played games with their sons in the four professional sports.
"I've always set out goals in my career, talked to the basketball gods, and they've listened to all of them. Hopefully they can listen to this last one, too," LeBron said.
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