LeBron James to Magic? Here's How Lakers Superstar Signs with Orlando
ORLANDO - After LeBron James won the NBA championship in the Disney World bubble in 2020, he vowed never to sign with the Orlando Magic in free agency.
"You gotta understand every time I hear 'Orlando', I get PTSD, I was in the bubble for 95 [days]," James said in an appearance on HBO's 'The Shop' in 2021. "They have no chance [of signing me in free agency]."
Yes, absolutely zero chance, but what if the Magic enticed him with drafting his son Bronny in the 2024 NBA Draft?
ESPN released its first 2024 mock draft, sending the younger James to Orlando with the No. 10 overall pick.
"Some might be surprised to see James, ranked anywhere from 28 to 43 by the major recruiting services, as a potential top-10 pick," ESPN writes. "James has earned his spot in lottery conversations with the significant jump he has made at Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, California, this season, developing into arguably the best perimeter defender in his high school class while making strides in his perimeter shooting and playmaking ability."
Bronny has an incredibly tall task of playing in his father's shadow, one he likely will never get out of. It's hard to build expectations and a legacy for yourself when your dad is the all-time scorer in the history of the league.
That being said, LeBron has clamored in the past about playing long enough so that he can be teammates with his son for possibly his last NBA campaign.
"I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny," James said in an interview with ESPN earlier this year. "Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him. I don't mean like [guarding one another all game] -- because he's a point guard and I'm a, at this point now I'm playing center or whatever the team needs from me. But I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. thing. That would be ideal for sure."
If Bronny gets drafted by the Magic, that could force James into a difficult decision ... play with your son, but it has to be in Orlando. Maybe LeBron will have a change of heart about playing in central Florida.
You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
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