Because of the ever-shrinking window to play in the NBA (the average career lasts less than five years), we've never seen a father and son duo share the court together; Klay Thompson and Steph Curry didn't come close to sharing the court with Mychal Thompson and Dell Curry, after all. But LeBron James isn't ordinary, and his eldest son LeBron James Jr. (aka Bronny) has exhibited vestiges of his Old Man's basketball prowess. Perhaps that's why, in a recent interview with Tim Ferriss, LeBron spoke about how special sharing an NBA court with his son would be for his family:
This isn't the first time we've heard that LeBron wants to suit up with, or against, his oldest son, but there remain numerous obstacles standing in the way of the first father and son to play in the NBA at the same time.
While LeBron, at 34, is putting up numbers in his first year with the Lakers that aren't all that far off from his MVP seasons, Father Time has never lost. To think he'd be doing the same at 39 or 40 would be foolish. It's not like he'd be ineffective, just not the MVP contender he's been in every season for the last dozen years. But Bron isn't the biggest unknown; it's his 5'10" son. Bronny is in the eighth grade at Crossroads School of Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica, California, and while he's dazzled in AAU competition, it's unclear where his career will take him as he leaves adolescence and matures into adulthood. Plus, there are the inevitable growing pains, beyond being a teenager, that come from sharing the same name as the greatest player perhaps ever.
James has spoken about the unfair burden he's put on his oldest son by giving him his first name, but routinely talking about wanting to play with his son in the NBA merely exacerbates that anxiety. LeBron seems to have raised two mature sons who are used to the spotlight, but we can't help but wonder if these types of quotes just add to the pressure.
