LeBron James sees himself with Lakers 'as long as I can play'

A week after LeBron James made comments that suggested his days with the Los Angeles Lakers may be numbered, the four-time NBA MVP backtracked Friday night.

"This is a franchise I see myself being with. I'm here. I'm here," James said, via ESPN. "I see myself being with the purple and gold as long as I can play."

James, 37, made a couple of comments during the All-Star break that invited speculation that he's eyeing an eventual exit from Los Angeles. First, James told The Athletic that the "door is not closed" on another reunion with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team that drafted him in 2003 and won a championship with him in 2016. Later in the same article, James said his final season in the NBA will be played with his son, Bronny James.

On Friday, James stood by his comment that it's his dream to play with his son, but said that doesn't necessarily mean he's looking to leave the Lakers.

"I also have a goal that, if it's possible -- I don't even know if it's possible -- that if I can play with my son, I would love to do that," James said. "Is that, like, something that any man shouldn't want that in life? That's like the coolest thing that could possibly happen. That doesn't mean I don't want to be with this franchise."

Bronny James, 17, is a four-star recruit on 247Sports and hasn't yet committed to a university. He won't be eligible to be drafted until at least the 2024 NBA Draft, although that'd mean just one year of college basketball.