LeBron James added yet another jewel to his crown after the Los Angeles Lakers season opener vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves.
For years, the Lakers superstar has expressed his desire to share the court with his eldest son, Bronny James. When the former USC Trojans guard was drafted by the Purple and Gold earlier this year, James reached one step closer to achieving his dream.
He finally played his first official game with Bronny during the Lakers’ 2024-25 NBA season opener. Although James Jr. played for only a couple of minutes, it was enough to etch his name in the history books alongside his father.
Over the past few months, many have debated whether Bronny deserves to be in the NBA or not. While the 20-year-old has a few solid traits, the majority of his game still needs polishing. As a result, many have called out the Lakers for wasting a draft pick on Bronny.
Now, NBA reporter Michelle Beadle took it one step further when she called out LeBron and Bronny’s historic moment ‘manufactured.’
“If this isn’t manufactured, then I don’t know what the word manufactured means,” Beadle said. “But, again, I am not impressed, and I thought this was so ridiculous.”
To be honest, the moment was anticipated even before the start of the 2024-25 NBA season. Regardless of how it may have felt manufactured, it was still the first time an active NBA player has shared the court with their child.
More importantly, the Lakers used the 55th overall pick to draft Bronny. If the organization had used a high lottery pick, Beadle’s criticism would have been on point. At the end of the day, the only way for Bronny to silence his critics is to put up great numbers in his rookie year.
So far, he is having a lackluster season. Aside from the season opener, Bronny hasn’t found a place in head coach J.J. Redick’s rotation. Even in that sole game, he was on the court for just three minutes and only managed to grab a single rebound.
On the positive side, the Lakers are currently on a three-game winning streak to start the season. It could finally be the year that LeBron James wins the second ring of his Lakers career.
Despite not contributing much on the court, it seems like James Jr. has certainly brought a stroke of luck with himself to the Lakers.
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