Former Los Angeles Lakers point guard and NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton just added more fuel to the LeBron going to the Lakers fire.
Los Angeles Lakers rumors have been running rampant recently. The NBA season has only been over for three days, but the free agency rumors are already heating up rapidly.
Most of that talk surrounds the biggest free agent on the market, LeBron James. He has continuously said his family will play a big role in his decision and the latest news about his son could foreshadow where the king will place his throne next season.
LeBron James Jr., his oldest son, is in a similar situation to his father this summer. He is the number one incoming freshman basketball prospect in the nation and he has yet to pick a school to play for.
However, Gary Payton might have just broken the news for the James family.
He told Black Sports Online’s Sheena Marie that LeBron James Jr. is committed to play high school basketball for Sierra Canyon located in Chatsworth, California.
The Sierra Canyon Trailblazers won the state title last season, and are already one of the more talented teams in the country.
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What makes them a likely candidate to land Bronny Jr. is that they already have two players on their roster that have fathers that played in the NBA. Both Scottie Pippen Jr. and Kenyon Martin Jr. will be seniors on the team next season and could help James Jr. adjust to the attention that will come his way.
Pippen Jr. told USA today “I used to hang out with him when we were younger. I feel like we would all gel together if he came. It would make sense for him to come here because it would take all of the pressure off of him playing-wise. We all feel the same pressure. I don’t know if he’s coming, but of course, we would love to have him.”
If this were to happen, one would presume that it would set up LeBron to make a move to Los Angeles to play for the Lakers. He would be minutes away from his son’s school and since family will be a huge factor in his decision, this bodes well for Los Angeles.
On the other hand, this could just be noise because neither LeBron or Sierra Canyon have confirmed that what Payton is saying is true.
Also, just because LeBron James Jr. might be playing in California, that does not necessarily guarantee his dad will follow. Other trending destinations like the Houston Rockets are close enough for James to watch his son play on a regular basis.
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The Lakers are already the betting favorite in vegas to land LeBron, and if these rumors are true then those odds should dramatically increase.