The Los Angeles Lakers, my favorite NBA team, made history Tuesday when LeBron James and Bronny James became the first father and son to play on the court together in a league game.
Shame on LeBron.
More shame on the Lakers.
I’m only glad that the greatest Laker ever, Jerry West, who passed away in June, didn’t have to see this.
During the Lakers’ season opener, at home, against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Bronny James joined his dad in the games second quarter for a couple of minutes of what was nothing less than a publicity stunt.
Yep, a clown show from one of the NBA’s greatest franchises.
The Lakers, who have seen the likes of Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Braynt, and yes, Lebron James himself, wear the Laker purple and gold, can now add Bronny James to the list.
OK, Lebron had his moment Tuesday.
The Lakers had their moment as well, as if they needed it.
New coach JJ Reddick coached his first game, not just his first NBA game, his first game, ever.
Oh, as an afterthought, the Lakers defeated Minnesota, 110-103.
What happened Tuesday night will be difficult to accomplish ever again in the NBA.
For starters, it requires an extremely long playing career from the father, and the son to begin his career unusually early.
That’s the part that bothers me.
TNT’s Stan Van Gundy, who was on the sideline for the game, said “this is something that should be celebrated.”
I agree, if it was deserved and worked for.
It was neither.
Bronny played just three minutes, missed his two field goal attempts, and had one rebound.
Bronny will likely play his next game for the Lakers’ G-League squad, the South Bay Lakers, where he should have started the season, where he could begin the process of someday making it to the Association.
Bronny James was the 55th pick last June in the NBA Draft, which many considered a nice gesture by the Lakers.
But let’s say it wasn’t.
The 55th pick in an NBA draft is a player the team wants to develop, over several seasons, in hopes that he may someday become a serviceable NBA player.
Even that would be a stretch for Bronny James.
But instead, Bronny was allowed to play three minutes with his dad, just to be outcast to the G-League.
I’m disappointed in how the Lakers allowed Lebron to control and orchestrate that moment.
LeBron made it happen, it’s a moment Bronny didn’t deserve, and LeBron clearly forced it.
For Laker fans, it’s just a continuation of LeBron again making a puppet out of the most current L.A. coach, who now happens to be Reddick.
So yes, history was made Tuesday night, because what the Lakers organization did was what LeBron wanted.
This had nothing to do with Bronny James.
This was all about LeBron James.
I wish nothing but the best for Bronny James.
I hope he proves me wrong and becomes a legitimate NBA player someday.
But that’s plenty of G-League bus rides away.
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