National Basketball Association

LeBron James returns to Lakers rejuvenated by sons, new teammates

Published Oct. 2, 2023 8:52 p.m. ET

Exhausted, drained — retirement?

That was LeBron James five months ago as he sat on the podium after the Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the Western Conference Finals, a success story for a team that started the season with a dismal 2-10 record, but a failure for a four-time champion who's wholeheartedly uninterested in moral victories in his 20th season.

Excited, reinvigorated — ready.

That was James at Lakers' Media Day on Monday as he steeled himself for another marathon season that will take him one year shy of his 40th birthday, the equivalent of being a centenarian in basketball years.

So, what changed?

"I had a conversation with my family," James said. "Conversation with myself. Getting inspired once again from my kids."

During his 16-minute media session, James kept talking about his two sons, 18-year-old Bronny and 16-year-old Bryce, and how they reignited his passion to play for very different reasons.

With Bronny, James had the scare of his life.

Bronny, a freshman at USC, collapsed after suffering a cardiac arrest during a basketball practice in July. Bronny was rushed to the hospital. He spent time in the ICU.

James has long made it clear that his dream was to play alongside Bronny in the NBA. Bronny is currently fighting to get back onto the court. How could James walk away from it now?

"Nothing else matters besides my family," James said. "And obviously I'm going to dedicate this season to Bronny because of the incident that happened this summer. Understanding that, it just puts everything in perspective. No matter what's going on in your life in that point in time, the only thing that matters is your family.

"So, to see what he had to go through or what he's been through over the last few months, it's been a lot. I can only imagine how it's been for him because it's been a lot for me, it's been a lot for our family. But the man above has definitely given us a lot of strength and has given Bronny the strength to bounce back."

James said that Bronny is now doing "extremely well." He added that he had a successful surgery. He said that he has begun rehab to get back on the floor this season for USC.

It's an incredible sigh of relief for James, who grew up without having had a relationship with his biological father and has made it clear that being a father is one of the things he values most.

For now, it appears his dream of sharing the court with his son could still be alive.

As for Bryce, he helped remind James why he fell in love with basketball in the first place. James doesn't remember exactly when he decided he was going to return -- but he remembered when he realized he made the right call.

"I know what kinda got me outta the funk, though, was coaching Bryce's team down in August for Peach Jam," James said. "...They just play for the love of the game. And being around all of those kids with our AAU program, they were just out there competing and just wanting to win. It had nothing to do with social media clicks or money or fame or none of that stuff. They were just playing to be able to put themselves in a position to possibly win Peach Jam."

Back in May, James' retirement talk was a complete shock.

He was coming off a 40-point, 10-rebound and nine-assist loss in Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets. He had always said he was going to at least play through next season, when Bronny would be eligible to enter the league. But at that moment, he was questioning everything.

In fact, this reporter asked James the question that led to him dropping that bombshell.

It was an innocuous query in which James was asked to evaluate his season following becoming the league's all-time leading scorer and breaking nearly every record for someone in his 20th year.

James used that as a launching pad to talk about his basketball mortality. "Just for me personally going forward with the game of basketball, I've got a lot to think about," he said at the time.

The truth is, no one really saw that as the end for him. Most chalked up those words as an emotional response to a disappointing playoff collapse. But James said his decision to return actually wasn't a no-brainer.

"I can for sure tell you it wasn't super quick," he said.

James did some self-reflection. He took time away from the sport. He saw Bryce's excitement for the game. He witnessed Bronny's scare. In the end, with fresh eyes, James decided to return to the sport that had transformed his life

"I feel like I got a lot more in the tank to give," James said. "At that moment, I didn't. I was exhausted. I was tired. Mentally, I was in too many different places. ... And that's what drew that comment. Or that statement. Because that's just how I felt at the moment. But I'm happy to be returning for another season and helping this team, hopefully get this team to the Finals. That's just the goal."

James, however, wouldn't make any future promises. When asked if this could be his final season, he shrugged.

"I don't know," he said. "I don't know."

When prodded to elaborate, he declined.

"I can't because I don't know," he said. "I'm happy right now. I'm excited. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and getting training camp going and getting going. But I don't know what the end of this road looks like."

According to Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, who witnessed some of James' summer workouts, the superstar seems as passionate as ever about the game.

"It's staggering for a player who has 20 years under the hood already and is preparing for 21 like he's a rookie," Pelinka said last week. "He's been doing 6 a.m. workouts. Probably been in our building as much as any player this offseason. Been in the weight room as much as any player."

James hopes to take advantage of this window, however narrow it may be.

He spent the summer rehabbing a torn tendon in his right foot, which sidelined him for 13 games in February and March. "My foot has been reacting very well on my offseason workouts," he said.

James and Anthony Davis claim they're healthy. The team returned their strong supporting cast, including Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and D'Angelo Russell. And they added some great pieces this offseason.

Now, James is ready to compete for his fifth title. He said he could even be interested in representing Team USA at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, if his body is up for it.

James is back.

And after a challenging year and an incredibly scary summer, James says things are fully in perspective.

He plans to play for one son. And channel the excitement of his other one.

"It's definitely a whirlwind and a lot of emotions for our family this summer," James said. "But the best thing we have is each other."

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.

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