Royal family holds court

EL SEGUNDO, California — LeBron James and his son, Bronny, are already scrimmaging with the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers during voluntary offseason workouts. Meanwhile, JJ Redick and his coaching staff are planning and discussing the moment early in the new season when a father and son will share an NBA court for the first time.

While the specifics of that historic day aren't set yet, Redick shares the basketball world's anticipation of the chance to watch the top scorer in NBA history playing alongside the Lakers' new second-round draft pick. No father and son have ever played in the NBA simultaneously, let alone on the same team.

"We don't have anything planned, per se, in terms of a commitment to do it this way," Redick said. "Obviously, we have talked about it as a staff, and we've gotten into some specifics of what that might look like, but we haven't committed to anything, and obviously there's a discussion to be had once we're all together, with Bronny and LeBron, too. They should be a part of that discussion as well."

Redick and general manager Rob Pelinka expressed excitement for the team-up Wednesday, during a preseason news conference. Redick sees only positive aspects in pairing the duo on the court, and he doesn't anticipate any friction or concerns in the family dynamic.

"I don't look at it as a challenge that's unique from any other challenge of coaching a player or coaching a relationship," Redick said.

Pelinka then humorously interjected an anecdote from a recent workout scrimmage: "Maybe the challenge is on Bronny, when like in our pickup game, he got switched on to LeBron, and LeBron took him baseline, up and under off the glass. The words exchanged afterwards were probably more challenging than anything else."

The Lakers haven't announced or decided how long Bronny, who will turn 20 during training camp, will be on the NBA roster with his famous father, who turns 40 in December.

Although the front office hasn't confirmed it, Bronny James seems likely to spend much of the upcoming season in the G League developing his skills. He played in only 25 games during his sole season at the University of Southern California after recovering from cardiac arrest during an offseason workout.

Pelinka and Redick are still extremely bullish on the 6-foot-2 Bronny's ability to become an NBA contributor.

"I feel very fortunate that I get to coach him, because he's young and he's hungry and he's got a lot of inherent skill sets that we can really mold into a really good NBA player," Redick said. "On top of that, he's a fantastic kid. He's extremely coachable. He's got the right spirit and energy every single day."

LeBron James took a vacation after leading the US to a gold medal at the recent Paris Olympics, but he has been back in the gym for the past two weeks, Redick said.

The Lakers' front office didn't make any bold moves over the summer, constrained by their top players' contracts and the new league system that has made it much more difficult to upgrade rosters, according to Pelinka.

So, the Lakers roster around the James family will be largely the same group that made the Western Conference finals in 2023, but then finished eighth in the West last spring before losing to Denver in the first round.

Those Lakers weren't an elite team, even with excellent health for LeBron and Anthony Davis, two high-mileage veterans who have struggled with major injury problems in previous seasons.

Pelinka said he would be open to moving his two tradeable first-round picks if he saw a deal that would lead "to sustainable Lakers excellence". He would also move one pick for a "marginal upgrade, if we felt like it was the right thing to do".

Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and Jalen Hood-Schifino are healthy for training camp, but not everyone will be ready for workouts next week.

Christian Wood will be re-evaluated in six weeks after undergoing left knee surgery earlier this month.

Pelinka also revealed that Jarred Vanderbilt, the defense-minded wingman who played in only 29 games last season due to a foot injury, had successful "procedures" on both of his feet early in the offseason. The swingman is still recovering, but Pelinka said he is optimistic Vanderbilt will be ready to play by opening night on Oct 22.

Agencies via Xinhua