Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has signed an extension to stay with the franchise, officials confirmed on Sunday, paving the way for a historic NBA first of having a father-son duo as teammates.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer had opted out of a $51.4 million contract for the 2024-25 season last week, though many believed he had no real plans to leave Southern California.
Details of the new contract were not disclosed, but ESPN reported it to be worth $104 million over two years.
James, who last season averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.3 rebounds, is considered one of the greatest players in NBA history. He is a four-time NBA champion, four-time Finals MVP, four-time NBA MVP, and a 20-time All-Star.
With the 39-year-old LeBron staying with the Lakers, there is the possibility of making history alongside his son, Bronny James, as the first multigenerational duo in the upcoming season. The Lakers selected Bronny with their second-round draft pick, No. 55 overall, out of the University of Southern California.
Bronny entered his freshman season expected to be a first-round pick but ended up struggling, averaging just 4.8 points per game for a USC team that finished near the bottom of the Pac-12 with 18 losses. Nonetheless, the Lakers’ decision appears to support LeBron’s openly expressed aim of playing alongside his son in the NBA.
While NBA history has seen a number of father-son pairs, like Dell and Steph Curry, none have played on the court at the same time.
After Bronny was drafted, LeBron shared a slideshow on Instagram featuring images of him and his son on the court, captioning it “LEGACY!!!!!!”