The Bronny James countdown begun this afternoon with Round 2 of the NBA Draft. There were no surprises as to where Bronny James would go as he was drafted by his dad’s team, the LA Lakers with the 55th pick of the draft.
A Draft that was top heavy with French players who most fans were oblivious too as the Atlanta Hawks selected 6-8 forward Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 pick in Wednesday’s NBA draft, making Risacher the 15th international player to go No. 1.
Risacher and 2023 No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama are the first two French players drafted No. 1 in consecutive years.
Alex Sarr, also of France, was selected No. 2 by the Washington Wizards, marking the first time French players have swept the top two spots.
Tidjane Salaun, selected sixth by the Charlotte Hornets, and Pacôme Dadiet, taken at No. 25 by the New York Knicks, had joined their French counterparts by the evening’s end.
Other than the smiling faces and creative fits, the first-round of the draft was uneventful.
Bronny James Show: Round 2 NBA Draft: To Lakers At No. 55
Stephen A Smith mentioned on “First Take” on Tuesday that everyone is waiting for Day 2 to find out where Bronny James is going to go.
“We know Bronny James is the biggest attraction, with all due respect to the Day 1 players,” Smith said.
There’s some anticipation, but we already knew that Bronny was not going to a team who would ask him to do a two-way deal, as his agent Rich Paul of Klutch sports let it be known that Bronny is seeking a deal with a guaranteed roster spot.
He only worked out for two teams: The Lakers and Phoenix Suns.
Most analysts, media experts and those in tune with the “pulse of the game” had Bronny going to play with his dad and Lakers, after being taken with the 55th pick. Nothing else would make sense.
There’s really no other place Bronny would fit. This has been in the works for some time and when Bronny had the heart attack which delayed the start of his college career and set back his growth on the court, his team made the decision to just enter his name in the draft rather than waste any more time or be subjected to further scrutiny because of the 4.8 points he averaged as freshman.
The theme has been, “give Bronny time to develop.” ESPN’s draft analyst Jay Bilas agrees. On the air for ESPN, just before the draft began, Bilas said Bronny will need “one to two years” in the G League before he is a fully NBA-ready player.
Give Bronny James Time To Develop
Playing in L.A., he will get all the time needed under his dad’s direction.
The James Gang doesn’t really help the Lakers as far as chasing championships go, but LeBron has stopped trying to reach Jordan’s number of six rings and Kobe’s five titles. He’s settled into his post-playing career and positioning his sons Bryce and Bronny for similar future success. One would say, he’s got his priorities straight and has earned the right to position his sons as comfortably and favorably as possible.
LeBron James Owns Statistical Record Books
Bron’s focus since winning the bubble championship in 2020 has been obliterating career records like Kareem’s all-time scoring mark, separating himself statistically as much as he can from any other Mount Rushmore contenders and letting the chips fall where they may.
Becoming the first NBA player to play on the court with his son in an NBA game would be unprecedented, and that’s what LeBron is about 20 years into the league, with multiple championships and MVPs.
Bronny James — who was listed at 6 feet 4 on USC’s roster but measured at 6 feet 1 1/2 inches at the combine — might go down as the most polarizing second-round prospect in draft history, because of the family name.
His father, a four-time NBA champion, will be entering his 22nd NBA season this fall. If Bronny James plays in the NBA next season, he and LeBron James will be the first father-son duo in the league simultaneously as players.
There have been about 100 instances in NBA history of players joining the league after their fathers played, but none at the same time.
He already owns the record books and now he wants to own the legacy books.
Bron is very fortunate to be able to place his son in the best possible situation in a draft that is only two rounds long while the league overlooks many players who are probably better than Bronny.
In all honesty, LeBron always played by his own rules and he carried the torch for the NBA with a clean brand and a loud voice when it came to various pivotal social issues and decisions on how to handle certain problems within the league and with the owners.
The billionaire ballplayer, movie producer and entrepreneur has given just as much to the NBA as the league has provided him. I guess you can call this a retirement gift from the NBA to one of the GOATs.
So when Bronny James got picked tonight, nobody was really going crazy over it. It wasn’t in the first round and it’s pretty much what the league owes the greatest player of this generation, if the obvious nepotism doesn’t turn your nose.
Walk Like A Boss
LeBron James doesn’t have official ownership of an NBA team yet, but that is a goal he says he has. The way he handled this Bronny James situation, and brought his podcast buddy in to coach the team, we can’t tell that he’s not one already.
