"Terrible friends" - LeBron James jokingly fears former Wildcats influencing son Bryce James 

LeBron James beamed with pride after speaking to reporters for the first time after his younger son, Bryce James, committed to the Arizona Wildcats basketball team. He would be the second member of their family after elder son and Lakers second-round pick Bronny James to go to college.

Bryce announced his decision on Instagram with a post on Wednesday, sharing a photoshopped graphic in a Wildcats jersey next to the program's coach, Tommy Lloyd.

"100% committed," he wrote.

LeBron James was in action for the LA Lakers on Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers. The reporters interacted with him after the game about Bryce James' commitment.

Here's what the 40-year-old said:

"Well, this is his [Bryce] decision to make and he went where he felt comfortable. Straight shooter, coach Lloyd, straight shooter. Gave him exactly what they believed in or what they thought about him as a person, as a player."

However, LeBron jokingly said he was unhappy about one aspect of Bryce's Arizona decision.

"Happy to be a part of Beardown community now," he said. "Got some terrible friends in Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye, they're an alum there, so not too excited about that."

Jefferson and Frye were LeBron James' teammates and close friends on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Jefferson played there between 2015 and 2017, while Frye was on the roster from 2015 until 2018. The trio won the championship together in 2016 after erasing a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors.

Jefferson played for the Wildcats for three years until 2001, helping them reach the national championship game in his final season, where they fell to Duke. Frye joined the season after Jefferson left for the NBA and played for the program until 2005. He was a two-time First-team All-Pac-10 nominee in 2004 and 2005.

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As Bryce James inches closer to NBA draft eligibility, LeBron James makes wild claim

LeBron James turned 40 on Monday. The LA Lakers star has probably achieved every goal he had set for himself in the NBA, and he's an all-time great while still being active. Now in his 22nd season, LeBron is playing with his eldest son in the league, Bronny James.

Could he play with Bryce James, too? LeBron sure thinks so. After his 40th, LeBron made a wild claim, saying he has another five to seven years of high-level basketball in him.

"If I really wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level for about another – weird that I might say this – but about another five or seven years, if I wanted to,” LeBron said.

However, he said it won't determine his decision to continue playing even if he could.

"But I'm not not going to do that," LeBron added.

Bryce becomes NBA draft-eligible in 2026 when LeBron would be a handful of months away from his 42nd birthday and potentially in his 24th season if he continues playing. He could have the chance to create history again as the first player to play with not one but two of his kids in the NBA.