LOS ANGELES – LeBron James said on Monday that he will dedicate his 21st season in the National Basketball Association (NBA) to his eldest son Bronny, who continues to make a successful recovery from a cardiac arrest.
The 38-year-old briefly contemplated walking away from basketball at the end of last season following the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.
But his thoughts of retirement were short-lived and the veteran forward is now gearing up for another campaign that he hopes will culminate in a fifth NBA championship ring.
James said that the health scare involving Bronny, who collapsed suddenly during training with his college basketball team in Los Angeles on July 24, had given him a renewed sense of perspective.
“Nothing else matters besides my family,” James said at the Lakers’ training base in El Segundo.
“Obviously I’m going to dedicate this season to Bronny because of the incident that happened. Understanding that just puts everything into perspective.
“No matter what’s going on, the only thing that matters is your family. To see what he had to go through over the last few months, it has been a lot. I can only imagine how it has been for him, because it has been a lot for me, and a lot for our family.”
James was glad that Bronny, 18, was now “doing extremely well” and aiming to play college basketball for the University of Southern California this season.
“He has begun his rehab process to get back on the floor this season,” he said. “He’s on the up and up. It’s definitely a whirlwind and a lot of emotions for our family this summer.”
Before the incident, James had signed off from the 2022-2023 post-season by revealing that he was mulling a shock retirement. But he said on Monday that he had been persuaded to continue his career after “conversations with my family and with myself”.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot more in the tank to give,” added the Lakers star, who averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists in 55 regular-season games in 2022-23.
Referring to his end-of-season retirement hint, James, who played with a torn tendon in his foot for the final month of the regular season and play-offs, explained: “At that moment I was exhausted, I was tired, mentally I was in too many different places.
“So that’s what drew that comment at that moment. But I’m happy to return for another season and hopefully leading this team to the promised land.”
When asked whether this season could be his last, James, who has previously spoken about his desire to play alongside Bronny in the NBA, said: “I’m happy right now. I’m excited, looking forward to training camp tomorrow.
“But I don’t know what the end of the road or this season is going to look like. I have no idea.”
One thing he is sure of, he believes that the Lakers are well positioned to challenge for a championship after retaining the core of the roster that fell just short last season after a late charge.
“I’m very optimistic about how we can pick up from there,” said the 19-time All-Star, four-time league MVP and all-time leading scorer in NBA history with 38,652 points.
“With the continuity and the chemistry, there shouldn’t be much teaching. We’re returning a lot of our core. We have a lot of guys that know the system that can pick up where we left off.
“I’m excited about us returning our core and bringing in a lot of very, very good players. But there’s no substitution for work and we have to put in the work.
“If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance to compete every single night at the highest level.” AFP, REUTERS
