The Los Angeles Lakers will witness NBA history this season whenever LeBron James and Bronny James share the NBA court together, becoming the first-and-only father-son duo to play in the NBA simultaneously, let alone as teammates. Lakers superstar center Anthony Davis opened up on watching the two James be teammates this season, calling it a surreal experience at Lakers media day.
“It’s still surreal to me that he’s on the same team as his dad. And I get to be a part of it and witness each and every practice, each game, each moment that they have for at least his first year,” Davis said. “I can’t wait till they step on the floor together and officially make history. But it’s been super dope to watch so far.”
Many people have been critical of the Lakers and LeBron for forcing Bronny into the Lakers system after a college freshman season where Bronny put up extremely underwhelming stats (4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 36.3% from the field and 26.7% from three).
However, the Lakers are taking a chance on Bronny as a developmental prospect who was drafted at No. 55 in a Draft with just 58 picks, so the Lakers haven’t spent any real assets to make this happen.
What matters is how players on the Lakers view being teammates with LeBron and Bronny. While there was noise on the Summer League team about Bronny being a negative influence due to the media pressure around him, most of the Lakers’ main roster members have been embracing Bronny and this story.
The Lakers Are Focused On Winning But Also Building For The Future
The motivation to have a player like Bronny on the roster is simple. The Lakers get to manufacture mega-viral moments with LeBron and Bronny together, but there’s a basketball advantage to it also. They’ll get a very motivated version of LeBron and a potential defensive guard in the future if they can develop Bronny well.
The hiring of JJ Redick has been crucial for the Lakers, with the team hoping his innovative ideas can help transform the team in the short term and also put the franchise in a position to succeed over the long term. LeBron shared his thoughts on the Redick hire, fully endorsing the decision to sign his former podcast co-host.
“I wanted the Lakers, as a player and as a fan of the franchise, to be able to hire the coach that should be there. Not only as I’m finishing my career, but long after I’m gone because there’s been so many guys in that seat over the last few years.”
“And to be able to find someone that could be stable in that position is very key for any franchise. And for me to be a part of a legacy franchise, I feel like that was important.”
This is an exciting season for the Lakers, as it may be one of the final years we see LeBron actually be competitive at the All-NBA level as he’ll turn 40 in December. He’ll also tie Vince Carter’s record of playing 22 consecutive NBA seasons, so this is a red-letter year for LeBron and the Lakers.
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