Life in Laker-land is never short on plot twists, and the James family just gave us another one. One moment, it’s Bronny James teeing off on a quiet golf course, posting an Instagram story with the caption, “Some baby draws for the feed🫡.” The next, it’s LeBron James being spotted in Beverly Hills alongside Anthony Davis. Father and son, usually side by side for these off-court rituals, were suddenly playing different games, literally.

Golf is usually a shared lane for LeBron and Bronny. Their on-course banter has been its own subplot, a quiet rhythm outside the NBA grind. That’s why Bronny’s solo round raised eyebrows. A captioned swing, a missing dad, and suddenly the internet did what it always does: stitch together storylines. Meanwhile, LeBron’s Beverly Hills link-up with AD comes at a delicate time.

The Lakers’ roster is under the microscope, and the franchise is weighing contracts, rotations, and long-term direction. Public sightings between stars never come without context. Was it casual? Or a meeting with undertones about what’s next in purple and gold? For Bronny, though, the golf story ties back into a larger narrative.

His basketball curve has been anything but simple. From recovering from a 2023 cardiac arrest to working through a modest rookie season with the Lakers, Bronny’s actual statement has come in the G League. Eighteen games with South Bay, averaging 18.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. A March explosion for 39 points against Santa Cruz. These are the kinds of flashes that suggest there’s more ahead than his NBA box scores imply. And yet, father and son keep circling the same spotlight.

When LeBron opted into the final year of his deal, Bronny admitted he wasn’t even looped in. He found out, like everyone else, through friends calling after seeing the news. That says something about how tightly the James family keeps its cards. LeBron is entering Year 23, carrying a $52.6 million salary that makes him both the highest-paid Laker and, in some ways, a player with less pull than before. Add to that how LeBron James is unhappy in LA.

LeBron and Bronny splitting paths?

Luka Doncic is now the new star in Los Angeles, and LeBron has been nudged into a secondary orbit. That’s business. But for a player who once signed off on deals like the Russell Westbrook trade, it’s a different reality. Bronny, on the other hand, is still fighting for a margin. Summer League minutes, training camp scraps, and a looming two-way contract battle that includes names like Dalton Knecht and Kylor Kelley.

Kelley, a 27-year-old rim protector, signed on with LA looking to steal that last roster spot and his presence complicates the path for Bronny. One win for Kelley could mean delayed minutes for LeBron’s son. LeBron’s off-court decisions, Bronny’s developmental curve, and the Lakers’ roster politics are now stacked on top of each other. Even Stephen A. Smith, a longtime LeBron critic, recently argued that James should brace for a changing of the guard.

“There’s a new star in town,” Smith said. “That doesn’t mean your star has to descend. But this brother [Doncic] is that special, and that can’t be ignored.” For Bronny, this means carving out his space independent of his father’s shadow. His G League growth suggests he’s on that path. But every golf post, every Beverly Hills sighting, every sideline hug gets folded back into the larger LeBron-Bronny storyline.

So maybe this week was just about scheduling. A dad out in the city, a son on the course. Or maybe, like most things in Laker-land, it’s a glimpse of something bigger. Two James men, same city, different agendas. And the rest of us watching, waiting, piecing it all together like it’s the NBA’s most unpredictable game.