Rob Pelinka, Lakers ‘excited’ to see’ NBA history’ with LeBron, Bronny playing together
Bronny James is officially a Laker and Rob Pelinka can’t wait to see the first-ever father-son duo playing in the NBA.
The moment Laker fans and the NBA world were anticipating finally happened on Thursday when the Lakers drafted Bronny James at No. 55.
Even if this selection long felt like a formality, including on draft day when Rich Paul reportedly made sure Bronny made it to the Lakers, it didn’t take away from the moment. So long as LeBron James remains a Laker, the franchise will officially have the first-ever father-son duo playing in the NBA.
After the selection, vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka spoke about it and expressed his excitement.
“The biggest moments in sports happen with the Lakers and we’re excited to see this story unfold,” Pelinka said.
I think it’s fair to say most fans are excited to see this historic moment. Father and son have played in the NBA, but never at the same time, let alone together on the same team.
What’s also unreal about this situation is that LeBron is still lightyears ahead of his son in terms of on-court talent.
When this happened in the MLB with Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr., it was clear the 20-year-old son was far better than the 40-year-old dad. In this situation, 39-year-old LeBron will still be an All-NBA caliber player, while 19-year-old Bronny will likely spend much of his season in the G League.
It’s a testament to LeBron’s greatness that he could stay so good for so long for this to be possible. Also, a credit goes to Bronny.
Many cynics are upset and crying about nepotism with his selection, but he still had to be good enough to get here. The list of kids of former NBA stars who attempted this is long, and the number of kids who achieved this is much shorter.
Pelinka, the Lakers and LeBron are all excited about Bronny joining the Lakers. The expectations are realistic, as no one expects Bronny to be an important player and all he cost was one of the final picks of the draft.
"JJ Redick and his staff are already putting a plan together for Bronny and how they want to develop him into an elite two-way player." Rob Pelinka with @Mike_Bresnahan on the Lakers' newest additions. pic.twitter.com/ZLyBxBFbbq
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) June 28, 2024
The firsts we get with this duo will be exciting, from the press conferences to the on-court moments and hopefully even a James-to-James lob.
The media circus around this Lakers team will be at an all-time high this season, with many stories about this father-son duo. Hopefully, the media can stop being weird about Bronny and just enjoy the moments.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.