Playing with son pumps up LeBron

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — LeBron James said the historic prospect of playing alongside eldest son Bronny for the Los Angeles Lakers has given him a new lease of life ahead of the upcoming National Basketball Association (NBA) season.

James, 39, will tie Vince Carter’s record of playing 22 seasons in the NBA this year when he suits up for the Lakers after a summer in which he helped the USA defend their Olympic gold medal in Paris.

At some point this season, James will make NBA history by playing alongside 19-year-old son Bronny, who was chosen by the Lakers with the 55th pick in the draft in June.

James, who turns 40 in December, said he felt reinvigorated by the “pure joy” of being able to go work with one of his children.

“It’s a lot of excitement, a pure joy, to be able to come to work every day, put in hard work with your son every day and be able to see him continue to grow,” James said at the Lakers media day in El Segundo.

“We push each other. He pushes me. I push him. We push our teammates, and vice versa. So it’s just a very joyous moment not only for myself, but for our family. So it’s pretty awesome. Gives you a lot of life.”

James revealed that he had taken a relaxed approach to guiding his teenage son at home, revealing that Bronny was just as likely to be in his bedroom playing video games as taking advice from his superstar father.

“To be honest, if you have kids, at my age and his age, there’s not really much interaction going on on a day-to-day basis,” James joked.

“I mean, he comes down, he eats, he goes to his room, plays a video game. I’m down there with my wife, watching the movie.” 

“So it’s not like, you know, ‘meet me at the table at five o’clock. We need to discuss work tomorrow.’ That doesn’t happen.” 

“But he’s been around the game of basketball since he was born. Obviously, I’ve played in the NBA longer than he’s been alive, so he understands the nuances of it, as far as just being around the game.” 

“But now he’s a man, and it’s time for him to learn and get better with that.”

James, meanwhile, said being part of the USA’s gold medal-winning team in Paris, when he formed part of a star-studded line-up alongside the likes of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, had convinced him that he still had plenty “left in the tank.”

“When you’re with 11 other unbelievable, great talents, some of the best talent we’ve ever seen, it gives you a lot of joy to be able to play the game, play it at a high level,” James said.