It was pretty much inevitable. From the time Bronny James put his name in the NBA draft the feeling was somehow, some way he’s goanna end playing with his dad LeBron and the Los Angeles Lakers.
On day 2 of the NBA draft (first time that’s ever happened) the Lakers made the call and took the oldest son of James with the 55th pick. The move brings to an end the talk of James long saying his final goal in his illustrious NBA career is to be able to take the court with his son.
That’s going to happen at some point next season as Bronny, despite being drafted late in the second round, is also expected to sign a guaranteed four-year deal. Meaning he won’t be on a two-way deal, as most players drafted that low typically are. That’s just one of the many perks of being the son of one of the all-time greats and having an agent in Rich Paul, who pushes the envelope with the backing of James. But not everyone is on board with the Lakers selection, and in many ways they shouldn’t be.
Barstool Founder Calls Lakers A Sideshow
It’s not often that David Portnoy says anything worth repeating, but the diehard Boston Celtics fan and Michigan Wolverines fan, who’s been on cloud nine after seeing both of his squad’s hoist championship trophies this season, was right in his take on this situation.
Following the announcement of Bronny being picked, Portnoy wasted no time taking to X to say this:
“I Actually Feel Bad For Laker Fans Being Held Hostage By Bron Bron.”
Portnoy went on to let it be known that he has nothing against the 19-year-old USC product, but he also insisted that Laker fans should be infuriated.
“But if you were a Lakers fan — I miss the rivalries. I’m being serious. How infuriated are you? Like your team has been a joke. You can’t compete. You haven’t been good. And LeBron, I love the guy, but he’s turned this into an absolute sideshow.”
Portnoy wasn’t done, as he then touched on how new Lakers head coach ended up in the lead chair for the franchise.
“But imagine being a Lakers fan and LeBron’s running a franchise. He’s got his podcast host as a coach, he’s got his son playing the point, man!”
Portnoy is right. The Lakers as we once knew them (arguably the greatest franchise in the NBA, and one of the best brands in all of sports) have become a circus with James in tow. On their fourth head coach in the seven seasons James has been with the franchise, now his son is drafted to the team to play with his dad.
How Did We Get Here?
For months James had insinuated that he wanted to play with Bronny, and as much as Bronny tried to downplay what his dad was saying, it was there. The aforementioned Paul, who’s become an NBA super agent of sorts, even tried to quell the rumors over the past few days leading up to the draft.
Paul, who’s got a stable of NBA players that he represents with Klutch Sports, reportedly told teams that if any team besides the Lakers and at one point the Suns drafted Bronny, he’d instead opt to play in Australia. That helped open the door for Bronny to be available with the 55th pick, and the Lakers pounced.
Bron And Bronny Make History
With the move the father-son duo becomes the first to ever play in the NBA simultaneously. An elated Bronny, who’s pretty buttoned up, took to his Instagram page to say this this after being drafted:
“Beyond blessed.”
That he is, and it also doesn’t hurt to have LBJ as your dad.
