LOS ANGELES — Dwyane Wade and LeBron James will reunite in Los Angeles next season, just not in the way some basketball fans might hope.
This fall, Wade’s son, Zaire, and James’ son, Bronny, will play together at Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, and no one is more excited about it than the recently-retired Miami Heat standout. At the NBA 2K20 launch party in Los Angeles on Thursday, Wade said he and James will be at as many games as they can be, cheering on their sons and acting as the most famous sports dads on the planet.
“I think it’s going to be cool,” Wade said. “Obviously myself and ‘Bron, being able to put our kids together to play one year in high school together, it’s pretty cool that we were able to do that, so we’re looking forward to being on the sideline and cheering them on like they did us for so many years.”
When Zaire and Bronny aren’t playing, Wade plans to travel 30 miles north to watch James and the Los Angeles Lakers play at Staples Center — at least when he’s in the area, as he still has roots in Miami but plans on being with his family on the west coast more frequently. While Wade is excited for basketball in L.A. regardless of the level, when it comes to the two NBA squads in the city, he admitted he’s partial to the team that boasts his former championship running mate.
“It’s going to be great,” Wade said. “I’m excited about high school sports. It’s just going to be a great time in L.A., so I look forward to being a fan and rooting these teams on. Obviously with LeBron being on the Lakers, I got a dog in the fight from a friend standpoint, but I definitely think it’s going to be a great time this season to enjoy basketball and sports.”
It certainly helps that there’s a ton of intrigue surrounding James and co. in Los Angeles this year. The team finally landed Anthony Davis via a trade, uprooting a number of younger members of the team’s core to bring him to town. This required building a new roster around the pair, one made up of new faces and familiar ones from last season’s squad.
Adding to all of this is that James, 34, has had a whole lot of time to rest and prepare this offseason. Los Angeles missing the playoffs in 2018-19 meant James missed the postseason for the first time in more than a decade, and while the pair have not spoken about what’s on the horizon, Wade predicts some big things for his friend.
“I don’t need to talk to him about this year,” Wade said. “You all know LeBron. He’s in the lab, he’s getting ready, he’s going to give you the best version of LeBron James. I think what we all love to see is a guy going into his 17th season still dominating the league the way he’s been dominating. It’s really special, so keep watching.”
