As a teenage basketball sensation, LeBron James went through the craziness of being recruited by universities. Now, he's living it as a dad.
And he's not enjoying it.
James said there are already colleges pursuing his 10-year-old son, LeBron Jr., and the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar believes there should be rules against schools tracking young children. This week, James told a Detroit radio station that his namesake has received scholarship offers from some unnamed schools.
"It's pretty crazy," James said. "It should be a violation. You shouldn't be recruiting 10-year-old kids."
While it may be understandable schools would keep an eye on James' kids for the future, it's hard to imagine any school already asking the kid to commit to coming to their campus.
James did not specify which schools contacted his youngster, and it's not completely clear if the programs made offers or simply contacted the younger James about gauging his interest.
Either way, James, who endured the recruiting frenzy at Akron St Vincent-St Mary High School as the most sought-after high school player in the country, intends to let LeBron Jr. enjoy his childhood.
"My son's going to be a kid as long as he can be," James said on Thursday as the Cavaliers prepared to host the Golden State Warriors in a possible NBA Finals preview.
"He loves to play the game of basketball, he loves to play video games, he loves to do his homework, that's all that matters. Everything else doesn't matter. He loves his brother and sister, his dad, his mom, his grandmas, let him be a kid."
Along those lines, James, who was raised by a single mother, said he's not ready to share all the stories from his childhood with his boys, LeBron Jr. and Bryce.
James said the day will come when he tells them about the struggles of his youth, but they aren't ready to hear them yet.
"My youngest son isn't quite there," James told The Associated Press during an interview in New York over All-Star weekend.
"My oldest isn't there. When he's about 12. That will be a good time to let him know and take him where I grew up, and let him see the streets that I walked, before dad had a car, and dad was riding a bike from his apartment complex to school, and things like that.
"I'm looking forward to that time but I'm not going to rush it. I want them to stay young. No responsibilities. You get up. You eat. You do whatever you need to do. You do a little homework and you can play video games. Once my son gets in the teens, and then it will be time."
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