The Los Angeles Lakers will be at the heart of the mainstream media throughout the 2024-25 campaign. It's a position the Lakers are accustomed to being in, but with the new season comes a new reason for analysts to focus on the purple and gold.
Come the 2024-25 season, LeBron James and Bronny James will officially become the first father-son duo to take the court as teammates in the NBA.
The younger James was selected by the Lakers earlier this summer at No. 55 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. It was a polarizing decision, but the pick has long been in and the James family is now preparing for a historic season.
On a recent episode of The Shop, James spoke briefly about how excited he is to go into training camp with his son as his teammate.
"I am so excited for training camp. Having your son work with you, it's like the greatest thing. I can't wait for this moment. I really cannot wait to hit the floor, it's going to be pretty surreal for me."
It's a landmark moment in NBA history, as the first father-son pairing ever will commence their journey at training camp.
LeBron James, Bronny James prepared to begin historic season
The historic season will be significant for a surplus of reasons. Chief among them is the fact that LeBron James will enter his record-tying 22nd year in the NBA, and will turn 40 during the early months of the regular season.
James will also be in pursuit of an elusive fifth career championship, which would tie him with fellow Lakers legends such as Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson from an all-time perspective.
More specifically, James will be looking to deliver a second championship to the Lakers. Fresh off of winning an Olympic gold medal alongside Los Angeles teammate Anthony Davis, momentum has been created for such to transpire.
It would be an even more awe-inspiring feat to do so with his son, thus creating a moment the NBA would be certain to replay for decades to come.
As for Bronny James, he'll be looking to silence his skeptics. He struggled mightily during his freshman season with the USC Trojans in 2023-24, which critics have latched onto as evidence that he shouldn't have been drafted in 2024.
The context, of course, is that James went into cardiac arrest shortly before the start of the 2023-24 season and inevitably faced an uphill battle to get back to 100 percent in a short period of time.
Prior to his freshman season, James established himself as one of the top high school players in the country. He was a four-star recruit and McDonald's All-American who took part in the 2023 Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit.
In 2024-25, the younger James will look to prove that his high school career is more indicative of his future success—while the elder James will attempt to turn back the clocks once more.