The 2025-26 season is going to be an important one for the Los Angeles Lakers for several reasons.
Beyond the franchise's continued push for an 18th NBA championship, the Lakers are bridging the gap between two eras as LeBron James' time with the Purple and Gold appears to be coming to an end sooner rather than later.
This will lead to the full launch of the Luka Doncic era in Southern California after the guard agreed to a multi-year extension with the Lakers, making him the new face of the franchise. Rob Pelinka has already begun making roster moves that will amplify what Doncic is ultimately able to add to the franchise.
What happens with LeBron and Luka moving forward is not the only storyline worth following once the 2025-26 campaign tips off, however. There is the matter of what happens with LeBron James Jr. once this coming season wraps up. Regardless of what happens with his father, this will be a topic of conversation next offseason as Bronny's contract for the 2026-27 season becomes guaranteed on June 29, 2026.
Lakers' Bronny James Running Out of Time to Fulfill Promise in L.A.
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Everyone knew that the Lakers were going to use their second-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft on the oldest son of superstar forward LeBron James. It was the worst-kept secret in sports.
Almost immediately, despite the medical issues that clearly stunted his growth as a player in his lone season with the University of Southern California Trojans, there were comments that Bronny's selection had nothing to do with his father and everything to do with his tools as a prospect. Given his status as a McDonald's All-American, this wasn't an outlandish position to take, even if his limited time at the NCAA level didn't necessarily back that train of thought up.
Perhaps predictably, James Jr. struggled during his rookie season in his 27 appearances with the Lakers. The guard averaged 2.3 points per game while shooting 31.3% from the field, 28.1% from beyond the arc, and 78.6% from the charity stripe.
It is important to note that he was far more effective in his 11 appearances with the South Bay Lakers of the G League. The promise that fans who watched him as a prep player were familiar with showed in those games, and the numbers backed that up. Bronny averaged 21.9 points, 5.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.9 steals in 34.2 minutes per game while shooting 44.0% from the field and 38.0% from beyond the arc.
For all the talk that went into selling the Bronny James pick on fans and media members, it would be to his benefit to take the next step in his second season as an NBA player. It remains to be seen just what his role will be on the 2025-26 version of the Lakers, but Los Angeles would love for it to be something closer to the player fans saw in South Bay this past season.
Also, if his father is no longer on the Purple and Gold following the 2025-26 campaign, there is much less of a guarantee that Bronny will remain. This is why the 20-year-old must prove he is adding to his game and becoming the best version of himself, as we saw during summer league play in July.
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