LeBron James: I See Myself Being With Lakers As Long As I Can Play

There’s been plenty of talk lately about the possibility of Lakers star LeBron James returning to the Cavaliers. Some of that, of course, was brought on by no less than James himself.

But he reiterated after Friday’s loss to the Clippers that it is his intention to remain in good, ol’ LA.

“This is a franchise I see myself being with. I’m here. I’m here,” James told reporters. “I see myself being with the purple and gold as long as I can play.”

This is the opposite of what James told Jason Lloyd of The Athletic during All-Star Weekend in Cleveland. Then, James said he hasn’t closed the door on a return to the pleasantly surprising and young Cavs.

James, 37, also indicated then that he wanted to spend at least one season playing with his son, Bronny James, currently a junior in high school. Bronny won’t be eligible for the NBA until the summer of 2024, on the cusp of LeBron’s 40th birthday.

“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 told reporters. “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.”

Along with all that, James implied that, despite reports, he has no issue with Lakers GM Rob Pelinka. A lot of people said otherwise after James praised the young Cavs, as well as the job being done by Thunder head of basketball operations Sam Presti.

“If I comment [on] or compliment the GM that’s in OKC — I really believe he’s done a phenomenal job. And you guys spin that to me saying that Rob is not doing a great job,” James said. “And if I say the GM from the Rams: I loved his f—ing T-shirt. I thought it was dope. And I believe the same way. I don’t care about picks; I care about winning championships. Well, how is that directed at Rob and the Lakers franchise? Rob has done the same thing. He went and got (Anthony Davis). He didn’t care about picks as well, obviously.”

Still, as it stands, the Lakers (27-32) have struggled all season, despite adding Russell Westbrook this past offseason. Westbrook has been a clunky fit, and while the Lakers tried to trade him ahead of the deadline, they found no takers.