LeBron, Bronny, The Lakers, and The Concerns

Don’t get me wrong folks, I love the story too. It was 2022 when LeBron publicly stated that he wished to play in the NBA long enough to play with his son, Bronny, who was tearing it up in high school at the time. Lo and behold, with the 55th pick in the 2024 draft, the Lakers make that wish come true. It’s a fairy tale sports story. Somehow, the son of one of the greatest basketball players ever makes it to USC on a scholarship and gets drafted to the very team his dad is on the next year. Somehow, this story that initially seemed like a far-fetched dream of LeBron’s, one that I thought near impossible when he first said it, has actually come to fruition. It’s a great marketing opportunity for the Lakers and the NBA, but I can’t help but wonder if it was ultimately the best decision for any of the parties involved.

The Lakers used the 55th pick to select a 19-year-old player who probably wouldn’t have been a draft pick at all this year if his last name weren’t James. Bronny went into USC as a top 30 high school recruit in most major rankings for his class but unfortunately suffered sudden cardiac arrest just before joining USC in July of 2023. Due to that very unfortunate event, he had to undergo surgery for a congenital heart defect and wasn’t able to join his team until well into the season, in December.

Now, it could be due to this very unfortunate event that things turned out the way they did once he got on the court, but from my observation, Bronny never looked all that comfortable at USC and he definitely didn’t look like a pro prospect. He came off the bench most games and didn’t get his first start until a series of injuries led to it. He ended up averaging 4.8 points per game, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and .8 steals in 25 games played. He wasn’t very efficient either. He shot 37 percent from the field, 27 percent from three-point range, and 68 percent from the free throw line. There are also the measurables that get considered when a player is a pro prospect. Bronny was listed at 6’4” and 210 lbs. going into USC. Now he’s listed at 6’2” going into the NBA, and it’s been reported that he actually measured out at the draft combine at more like 6’1” and a half.

Much credit to Bronny for coming back from such a horrific experience, and I assure you my point is not to discredit him for that. How many college players have we seen go pro after a year like that, though? Not only did the Lakers actually use a draft pick to obtain Bronny, but they subsequently gave him a four-year guaranteed contract. I’m not sure how many late second-round picks have ever gotten that type of deal, but none that I can name. That is a very rare step for a professional organization to take for a player taken that low in the draft. It would be natural for one to surmise that this was done in an attempt by the Lakers to appease LeBron to ensure he remains with the team. The timing worked out well for the James camp as well. This just happened to all take place in a year in which LeBron could become a free agent, so there was that added leverage.

I’m not dim; I get it. This is LeBron James we’re talking about here. Almost any team would do almost anything to obtain the player and the brand that is LeBron and most any would do almost anything to retain that type of asset. It’s also not uncommon in the NBA for a superstar player to have significant leverage on a team and be consulted regarding personnel decisions. Can the Lakers really love how this makes them look as an organization, though; especially given all the aforementioned as it relates to Bronny as a player?

Then there’s also how this was all gone about. It’s been reported that Rich Paul, the agent for LeBron and Bronny, told other teams not to draft Bronny. They reportedly went as far as saying that they would only accept a guaranteed contract for Bronny, and if another team did draft him, he’d go to Australia to play instead of reporting to that team. This is after Bronny had entered the transfer portal at the conclusion of the college season, which would normally indicate that the player intends to spend at least another year in college. Instead, Paul and whomever else may be advising Bronny outside of LeBron decided that what was best for Bronny was to go pro and take this rather aggressive approach to determining how he got into the league. From Bron’s public declaration that he wanted to end his career playing with his son to how it was ensured that Bronny would be a Laker, how is none of this considered tampering?

Is this even the best thing for Bronny’s career? Is thrusting him into these circumstances at the pro level best for his development as a person and a player? The NBA is a big enough challenge in itself for a player that young. It’s the highest level of basketball in the world and it’s one of the biggest stages in sports. Sure, he’ll have a support system in place to help him deal with it all, but in spite of the traumatic health condition and all the underwhelming stats and measurables, Bronny was the biggest story in the 2024 draft and will most likely continue to be one of the biggest stories of the year by virtue of being LeBron’s son. His play and everything about him will be watched and scrutinized all year; maybe for a few. Add that they’re on the same team and it just seems like a lot to navigate for such a young man who’s already been through so much. That team just happens to be the Lakers, to boot. No team in the NBA gets more attention. Maybe growing up in the fishbowl that is being LeBron’s son has prepared him for this. I certainly hope that’s the case.

The Lakers went for it all though. I’m not hating, but they did allow a player (though a very great one), not their GM, nor a member of the ownership group or the front office, to orchestrate this whole thing. They basically stated that they wanted to make this happen for Bron, and they wanted to be a part of this story. LeBron and Bronny will become the first active father-son duo to play on the same team in NBA history. Props to LeBron and his camp for pulling it off, and props to Bronny for making it to this point and taking advantage of this opportunity. I hope he has a long and successful career. I can’t help but wonder how other players on the Lakers, and in the league for that matter feel about this, however. I’d think it would be difficult for teammates of LeBron’s to feel secure on a team with him after witnessing how much leverage he truly possesses. How positive will they, or can they feel about Bronny being on the team? What if he decides he wants you to be replaced with someone he prefers or likes better? These elements being a part of a team’s atmosphere usually make winning less conducive and can lead to added tension and even implosion. Will other players that have sons with pro-level talent be granted this same type of leverage? Did LeBron and his folks, the Lakers and the NBA consider all these factors before they decided to allow this or carry it out? I truly wonder.

With all of this said, I wish all parties involved a happy ever-after.