History is in the making and it already has its storytellers. Dwyane Wade or Magic Johnson, practically members of the “LeBron James family” in the NBA, have fired off their best tweet to say how historic it was to see father and son reunited under the same jersey. LeBron has not yet activated his option, nor has he extended with the Los Angeles Lakers, but now that they chose Bronny in the 55th position of the draft last night, no one doubts that the legend will remain. After all, if his son is here, he owes it only to his father, or almost.
“I have to be on the same floor as him, whether as teammates or opponents.“, LeBron James had exclaimed when he understood that his immense efforts to maintain himself at the highest physical level could allow him to hold out until the arrival of his son, born in 2004 when he himself was not yet 20 years old. The idea quickly turned into an obsession, that of writing a new page in a story that guides him ever more towards posterity.
Threats from the James family agent
It’s been several years now since LeBron James entered the campaign and several months that he has repeated that he would play with his son. At one time, the father had seemed to link his future to his son. Understand: the franchise that would choose his offspring in the draft would have a strong chance of seeing him arrive. Finally, it was the opposite and it was a strange day that the NBA experienced Thursday, the day of the second round of the big youth market.
Bob Myers knows the NBA environment extremely well having practiced it as general manager of the Golden State Warriors between 2012 and 2023. Thursday evening, he was on the set of ESPN and in a few seconds, he summarized everything that It was all about Bronny James, his father, his agent and the Los Angeles Lakers.
“We can all imagine what Rich Paul’s (the James family’s agent) goal is right now. But there is a difference between hoping for it to happen and doing everything to make it happen. What I hear here and there is that this is what they do. Every team that drafts up to a certain spot hears ‘don’t do it, don’t draft him’. People will say ‘but do what you want’, it’s a little more complicated in reality. You don’t want to waste a pick and you don’t want to have a player that doesn’t want to be there.”
Rich Paul would have, according to several sources, threatened all franchises with a choice before the 55th, that of the Lakers, to send Bronny James to play in Australia if he was not chosen by the right franchise. So it was only natural that the kid landed where he needed to. Rob Pelinka, the athlete’s boss at the Lakers, justified this choice, in his own way.
4.8 points in college for Bronny James
“Bronny is first and foremost a guy with a fantastic personality. He’s a young man who works incredibly hard. He’s not someone who cuts corners or expects opportunities to fall into his lap in basketball..” Without calling into question Bronny’s work ethic, we will still note that having LeBron James as a father was able to open certain doors and that if the Lakers chose him, it was not, in the first place, not thanks to his basketball skills.
A good athlete and a good defender, Bronny James also has real flaws, particularly shooting and dribbling. Existing in the NBA without one or the other of these offensive qualities is very difficult in 2024. If the franchise with 17 NBA titles chose this player, it is not for his immense potential, it is because the real boss had decided so. Whether his name is LeBron James or Rich Paul, he has been calling the shots in the Bay of Angels for a few seasons now. And if this state of affairs led to an NBA title in 2020, he has also had his share of bad choices and therefore disappointments.
It will be interesting this summer to watch what Bronny’s future holds once he hits the courts in the summer leagues. But, whether he shines or not, it’s hard to imagine him other than with a guaranteed contract for next season. However, usually, players drafted in the second round, especially beyond 50th place, have a hard time making their way towards this holy grail. But Bronny James, averaging 4.8 points in college this year, is unique because he has a legendary surname and his father has acquired unprecedented power for a player in the NBA.
