LeBron James not ruling out playing with second son, Bryce

Tristan Thompson, who won a championship with LeBron James in 2016, recently floated the wild idea of his former Cavaliers teammate extending his career by a few more years to play with his second son, Bryce James.

Bryce, a 17-year-old senior at Sierra Canyon, is slated to graduate from high school next year, making him eligible for the 2026 NBA Draft after a year in college. He has already received offers from Ohio State and Duquesne.

In a recent interview with Cleveland.com, James was asked if it was "realistic" for him to play with both his sons in the NBA. 

"Oh [expletive]," LeBron responded with a laugh. "Bryce is a senior. I don’t know. We'll see. We'll see. That would be pretty cool. It's all about my mind and then seeing how my body reacts over these next couple of years."

For now, James is focused on playing with his oldest son, Bronny, who scored his first NBA points in his hometown of Cleveland on Wednesday. The four-time NBA champion added that both Bronny and Bryce were determined to make it as professional hoopers from a young age, and he didn't necessarily push them into the sport. 

"[Bronny] said from day one, his little brother said from day one, the game of basketball is what they love and that’s what they want to do," James said. "Between myself and Savannah and our supporting cast of friends and family, it was just for us to be their support, give them the guidance, give them the tools, give them whatever they need to be able to possibly reach their goal to where it could become a reality."

Bryce is said to be more physically gifted than Bronny. Basketball scout Adam Finkelstein, who has followed Bryce on the AAU circuit, describes the younger James as "a fundamentally sound player with solid perimeter size and a good early skill-set." 

While he's officially listed at 6-foot-4, a recent photo of Bryce at the Strive for Greatness camp showed him standing neck-and-neck next to high school phenom AJ Dybantsa, who is said to be 6-foot-9. As such, there is optimism that Bryce could be as tall as his father if and when he makes it to the NBA. 

For James to hypothetically share a court with Bryce, he'd have to play into the 2026-27 season. The Lakers star will turn 42 in Dec. 2026.