Bronny James will make history whenever he makes his NBA debut, because he’ll be one half of the first father-son duo to share an NBA court together, with LeBron James being the other half. Shaquille O’Neal opened up on the James family playing together on the Lakers to Udonis Haslem on ‘The OGs Podcast, hoping that regardless of achievements, Bronny finds happiness in the NBA.
“Little Bronny is my nephew. I’m happy for him. I wish him well. I know his work ethic, and there are a lot of storylines, both good and bad, behind that. I just hope everything goes well.
“I just sat here with Marlon Wayans on my podcast, and he said, ‘I want my kids to be happy.’ And I want the young fella (Bronny) to be happy… The only thing for kids like that is they have a lot of pressure because they carry the last name. They don’t really get the opportunity to do what they want; they’re always going to be compared to us.”
“My wish for Bronny is to be happy. I hate the storylines; I hate the nepotism talk and all that — it doesn’t matter. He’s in, I want him to be happy, I want him to perform, and I want him to do well because his son and my son are best friends. I’m not going to jeopardize their relationship by saying some sh*t. I wouldn’t say that sh*t anyway because LeBron and his family have always been good to me. He’s like a nephew to me, so I just wish him well.”
(Starts at 53:21)
Shaq also commented about his son’s similar struggles to get into the NBA, with Shareef O’Neal also failing to live up to his father’s name on the court after recovering from a major heart illness. Shareef and Bronny have been very good friends for years and both have shared this experience, so Shaq knows how incredible it is for Bronny to have continued his career.
Bronny will likely receive hate his entire career for not being as good as his father or for being a beneficiary of nepotism. He can’t focus on any of that, as he has a tall task ahead of him to make it to his second NBA contract despite being a late second-round pick, which is extremely rare in the NBA itself.
Hopefully, Bronny proves to be valuable as a backup guard over the four years on his contract. That’ll be the best way to shut down nepotism talks, as he’ll have earned a spot in the NBA by then.
Jeanie Buss Comments On LeBron And Bronny
Jeanie Buss, who inherited control of the Los Angeles Lakers from her father, knows how family politics can affect the workplace. She commented on LeBron and Bronny teaming up on her franchise, issuing her support to the father-son duo.
“You know, I never had that conversation with LeBron or Bronny, but in business situations, I always addressed my father as Dr. Buss. I wanted to keep that boundary clear because that helped us — we weren’t bringing work home to the dinner table. So, I think LeBron and Bronny are very prepared for this. And I’m excited for them to have this opportunity.”
The Lakers will have to treat Bronny like any other second-round pick, giving him time to develop in the G League and see if he progresses well. It does seem like he’ll get an early debut to help LeBron make history, but otherwise, he’ll have to earn every opportunity he receives from here on out.
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