LeBron James Says Son Bronny Has 'Tough Decisions' To Make Amid Transfer Portal Rumors

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Reports and rumors of Bronny James entering the transfer portal are alive and well, and it sounds as if LeBron James is going to try his best to stay out of his son's way as decision time is fast approaching.

Bronny spent his freshman season at USC where he averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while averaging just under 20 minutes per game. The coach that recruited him, Andy Enfield, stepped down after the season and has since accepted the head coaching job at SMU. 

With a bit of a slow campaign and his head coach leaving, many players in today's transfer portal era would at the very least entertain the idea of entering their name. You add the ginormous spotlight on Bronny James, and him entering the portal wouldn't be a shock, although leaving Los Angeles where his father plays would be an interesting move.

To add fuel to the fire, college basketball reporter Dick Weiss reported that Bronny would be entering the transfer portal, but later deleted and retracted the post explaining that he couldn't confirm the news.

It's worth noting that entering the transfer portal doesn't mean a player will inevitably leave the program, players enter the portal and return to their school all the time.

Bronny is in a unique situation given a new era at USC is set to get underway with a yet-to-be-named head coach plus the inevitable pressure he feels to get to the NBA and have a chance to play alongside his father. 

Following the Lakers' win over the Raptors on Tuesday, LeBron was asked about Bronny's future, and made it clear that whatever decision his son makes he'll have full support from his family. He also addressed the transfer portal report and seemingly tossed that idea aside.

"I don’t know where [the transfer portal report] came from, but at the end of the day, Bronny is his own man," James explained. "He has some tough decisions to make and when he’s ready to make those decisions he’ll let us all know. But as his family, we’ll support whatever he does." 

LeBron has mentioned on multiple occasions that he wants to continue playing in the NBA long enough to see his son in the league at the same time. The James duo teaming up in the Association would be a an obvious dream come true for the two of them, but whether or not that can become a reality, we'll have to wait and see.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.