The Los Angeles Lakers made LeBron James happy when they used the No. 55 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft to select his oldest son, Bronny, which almost wouldn’t happen if the Golden State Warriors didn’t do them a solid.
According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, the Golden State Warriors planned to use the No. 52 pick to get Bronny James. However, they ultimately passed on the 19-year-old guard to “respect the wishes” of his dad.
“The Warriors liked Bronny’s skill set and had him on their draft board, sources said. Selecting him ahead of the Lakers, who held the 55th pick, would’ve been a shrewd move — perhaps even to entice James to sign there as a free agent,” Shelburne wrote. “But ultimately, sources said, the Warriors opted to respect the wishes James had made clear and the Lakers signaled they would grant.”
The Golden State Warriors went in a different direction by drafting 7-foot center Quinten Post with their second-round pick, while NBA history was made when the Los Angeles Lakers made sure that LeBron and Bronny James became the first father-son tandem to have been in the league at the same time.
Bronny James earns praise after first preseason game with the Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers opened their preseason with a 124-107 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Bronny James came off the bench and recorded two points, one rebound, one assist, and three blocks in 16 minutes, but he also had a turnover and only went 1-for-6 from the field. Still, the younger James earned rave reviews from his head coach, JJ Redick.
“He can do some things defencively at his size that are really unique, and I think he can turn into a really disruptive defender,” Redick said about Bronny. “That manifested itself. On the offencive end, he’s still figuring out who he is. That’s our job as a player development program just to build him in.”
“But truthfully, he’s so easy to coach. He’s got a great soul. And just a great energy about him. I like being around him. I’m rooting for him. He’s a good player that we’re happy to have in our program,” he added.
