Bronny James unbothered by trade rumors surrounding LeBron James

The Los Angeles Lakers’ management and fans can breathe a sigh of relief after LeBron James’ longtime agent and Klutch Sports CEO, Rich Paul, recently confirmed to ESPN that James will exercise his $52.6 million player option with the franchise for the 2025–26 NBA season.

This move means James will make history yet again by becoming the first player in NBA history to play 23 seasons in the league. The 40-year-old is currently tied with NBA legend Vince Carter for the most seasons played.

Paul added that James is eager to win another NBA championship and will closely monitor the Lakers’ offseason moves—particularly how management positions the team to contend for the title in the upcoming season.

Meanwhile, LeBron’s son, Bronny James, tries to stay off social media, considering that he and his family are arguably the most famous in basketball and are hounded by the media day and night. In a recent media interaction, he revealed the reason, while also stating that he does not pay attention to rumors surrounding his father.

“Actually, one of my friends called me, talking about where I was going to play next season, what I was going to do, because they saw my dad in the news. I didn’t see it. He called me. I was like, ‘Yeah, I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ I don’t really pay attention to that stuff. There’s a lot of stuff going around that I don’t pay attention to,” Bronny said.

Bronny James in the gym training with Chris Johnson pic.twitter.com/MGqFDyU0iV

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“We don’t really talk about it much. I think when stuff like that does come up, he just tells me not to worry about it, not to even pay attention to it, and just lock into what I have going on right now. That’s what’s going to get me better and keep me focused. I think it’s good that he tells me not to pay attention to that stuff,” he added.

The Lakers have been busy in the offseason, recently signing center Deandre Ayton to a two-year, $16.6 million contract. It has also emerged that they have agreed to sign forward Jake LaRavia.

“Obviously, being on the team, I think we are going to come back even better than we were last year. We just have to come into the gym with a purpose, be ready to work every day, and be ready to get better every day,” Bronny concluded.

Bronny did not have the best debut season for the Lakers in 2024–25, coming under criticism from many who labeled him a nepotistic signing rather than being recognized for his skills on the court. The 20-year-old is now focusing on his conditioning and diet to improve his game and fitness, reducing his weight to 215 pounds with the goal of playing a 10-minute stretch at one go.

“I think that side of confidence just comes with time and being able to endure myself at a longer rate. Just being able to be out there longer, going at it—coming in every day and pushing myself even more than I did the last day—I think that’s really good for me,” he added.

It will be intriguing to see how Bronny performs in his second season, now with a year of NBA experience and the continued scrutiny placed on him and his family.

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