LeBron James’ Coach Gives Update on His Involvement With Lakers

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LeBron James Reveals Why He Stepped Away From Lakers

King James is ready to reign again. 

LeBron James is slowly making his return to the Los Angeles Lakers after stepping away from basketball for two games in an eight-game span. Despite LeBron’s return to the court on Dec. 15, where the Lakers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 116-110, head coach JJ Redick revealed that the 39-year-old—as well as teammate Anthony Davis didn’t return for a full practice following the win.

“LeBron and AD [Anthony Davis] didn’t practice with the group today,” the NBA alum told reporters during an official Lakers press conference on Dec. 17. “They had a very spirited individual workout with Greg St. Jean, where they moved around a lot, got in some weight room. The plan is for them to practice tomorrow.”

As for whether Lebron will be on the court when the Lakers play the Sacramento Kings Dec. 19? 

“Yes, it’s anticipated,” JJ told reporters. “Don’t hold me to anything we have to make decisions in real time.”

On Dec. 11, the former podcaster—who is in his first season as Lakers head coach—told reporters that LeBron was away for the team momentarily.

“He's out for personal reasons,” JJ, 40, said. “excused absence." 

Following the team’s last win, LeBron got candid about the sore foot that resulted in his brief absence.

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“If it was up to just me, I probably would've played,” LeBron reporters of his brief hiatus following the Lakers’ victory, per ESPN. “It would've been hard to keep me away from it. I have a team and I got to listen to them as well. They look out for my best interest.”

The time away seemed to pay off, as he contributed 18 points to the team’s final total against the Grizzlies.

“I had an opportunity to take more days and get my mind, body and everything where I wanted it to be for tonight,” LeBron continued. “And it worked out.”

The Olympian—who is father of Lakers rookie LeBron ‘Bronny’ James Jr., 20, as well as son Bryce, 17, and daughter Zhuri, 10, younger children with wife Savannah James—added that he put in “a lot of rehabbing, a lot of training still to make sure that I was ready to go tonight. Didn't want to get too much out of shape.”

Keep reading for more on LeBron and athletes whose kids followed in their footsteps…

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LeBron James and Bronny James

Bronny James (born LeBron James Jr. on born Oct. 6, 2004) played high school basketball for Chatsworth Sierra Canyon in the San Fernando Valley before graduating to the university of Southern California.

While the NBA schedule has often kept LeBron from being able to attend a full slate of his son's games, he's been known to go to great lengths to watch Bronny in action. In fact, he once chartered a plane on an off-day to catch Sierra Canyon play against his own alma mater, St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio.

"To go watch my son play...and also versus my alma mater," LeBron told reporters, "it's a pretty surreal, come-full-circle, unbelievable thing."

In June 2024, Bronny was drafted to the Los Angeles Lakers, making him and LeBron the first father-son duo to play in the NBA at the same time.

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Dwyane Wade and Zaire Wade

Also helping to make up the Sierra Canyon all-star squad? Zaire Wade, the eldest son of retired Miami Heat star (and former LeBron James teammate) Dwyane Wade.

"You've got to embrace it," Zaire, who transferred there in December 2019 from Florida, told Yahoo! Sports about the unusual amount of attention being paid to his team. "There are cameras on us wherever we go. There has been a lot of attention on me my whole life, but this is crazy. This is another level."

However, Zaire—unhappy with the lack of playing time he ended up getting—announced on Instagram In April 2020 that he'd be transferring to Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, Fla.

Zaire was the 10th pick in the 2021 NBA G League draft, joing the Salt Lake City Stars. He went on to play for Cape Town Tigers of the Basketball Africa Leagu before signing with the of the ASEAN Basketball League in April 2024.

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Chad  Johnson and Cha'iel Johnson

The retired football star has a daughter who may be able to leave him in the dust by now. After all, Cha'iel Johnson is a track and field star who competed in the 2017 AAU Junior Olympics at 12, winning the girls' 800-meter run.

She ran for St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Florida, before joining the University of Kentucky athletics team.

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Shaquille O'Neal and Shareef O'Neal

The NBA Hall of Famer's third-eldest child, who measures up at 6-foot-10, played college basketball for UCLA before being sidelined with a heart condition that required surgery.

After missing out on his 2018-19 season with the California-based school, he transferred to Louisiana State, where there's a 900-pound bronze statue of Shaq outside the LSU Basketball Practice Facility in honor of its famous alum.

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Shaquille O'Neal and Amirah O'Neal

Shaq's 6-foot-2 daughter (pictured here with her brother Shareef O'Neal) announced her LSU enrollment in 2020 to join her sibling in playing college basketball for the school.

"One of the most difficult decisions for a person my age to make, is the jump from high school to college," she shared at the time. "Although I don't fully know what's ahead of me, I am ready for the challenge. I never imagined myself saying this, but I am excited to say that I have decided to commit to being a student athlete at LSU along side my brother Shareef O'Neal. I am Sooooo grateful to spend my next 4 years as a Tiger."

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Zack Randolph  and MacKenly Randolph

The eldest daughter of two-time NBA All-Star Zack Randolph played basketball alongside fellow NBA star scion Izela Arenas, daughter of Gilbert Arenas, during her studies at Sierra Canyon.

"I went to Michigan State under coach Tom Izzo," Randolph told the Los Angeles Times in December 2020. "He was a dog. Just hard. The boys you can be a little rough with. The girls, they have you wrapped around your finger. The girls look at you, 'Dad, I'm trying.' You have a special spot for the girls."

MacKenly said she'd beaten her dad three times in one-on-one, quipping, "He doesn't play any defense."

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Terrell Owens and Terique Owens

The 6-foot-3 son of the NFL Hall of Famer committed to Florida Atlantic University in 2019 as a preferred walk-on. Terique played basketball for most of his life before switching to football as a teen. He got his post-high school playing career off the ground at Contra Costa Community College before transferring.

Scottie Pippen/Instagram

Scottie Pippen and Scotty Pippen Jr.

The Sierra Canyon graduate started all four years and won two state titles. He played college ball for Vanderbilt, before signing a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2022.

After a brief stint on the NBA G-League affiliate the South Bay Lakers, Scotty Jr. signed a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2024.

Unique Nicole/Getty Images/Kevin Sullivan/Digital First Media/Orange County Register

Dennis Rodman and Dennis "DJ" Rodman Jr.

The former Chicago Bulls star and five-time NBA champion is a lot of things—and a dad is one of them.

His son Dennis Rodman Jr.—or DJ—played basketball and football at Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach, Calif. After graduation, he became a forward at Washington State, before transferring to University of Southern California in 2023.

"He's one of the more under-rated or unknown players in Southern California," his high school coach, Ryan Schachter, told the Orange County Register after a game in 2017.

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Dennis Rodman and Trinity Rodman

Though Dennis' son DJ followed his footsteps into basketball, his daughter Trinity Rodman carved her own path in the world of soccer. After the COVID-19 pandemic canceled her freshman season with the Washington State Cougars, she went professional and joined Washington Spirit in 2021 and United States women's national soccer team in 2022.

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Tiger Woods and Charlie Woods

It's only fitting that golfing's GOAT has a kid who's got mad skills on the course. Charlie Woods made his televised-golf debut at the age of 11 alongside his dad at the 2020 PNC Championship.

When asked if he had been working on his swing ahead of the father-son outing, the 15-time major champion said, "I haven't put in any time. I don't really care about my game. I'm just trying to make sure that Charlie has the time of his life and is able to enjoy all of this.'' 

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