“‘He doesn’t impact winning but, I’ll sell tickets and it will drive Bronny’” - Rob Parker believes LeBron James playing with Bronny is a totally premature, prefabricated pipe dream
The idea of LA Lakers superstar LeBron James and his son, Bronny, one day sharing an NBA court together is tantalizing. But time will tell if that dream, which James has been vocal about, can turn into a reality.
Although James remains an elite player despite being 37 years old, his son still has a long way to go to convince NBA teams. Bronny has taken strides in his development, but he still needs to prove that he warrants being drafted or signing as a free agent. On "The Odd Couple" podcast, analyst Rob Parker said the idea is premature.
"If you get to that point two years from now and your kid's there, that's great," Parker said. "I can understand that conversation. Hey, Bronny went to college, he had a great rookie year, freshman year. Wow, that's exciting. You know what I mean?
"And, now, maybe it's a chance of it, but, like, putting it in the atmosphere to try to sell it to some owner or some bad franchise who's like, 'I'll take LeBron. I know he's played 24 years now, or 23 years, and he's not the same player and he doesn't impact winning, but I'll sell tickets and it will drive Bronny.' That's what it sounds like to me.
"It just sounds totally premature, totally prefabricated, totally pipe dream, reality kind of thing more so than something that eventually could happen. And if it does, that's different. You just said it: Bronny's like the 30th or 40th best player in the country."
LeBron James still hopeful to play with son Bronny in NBA
Bronny James' senior season at Sierra Canyon School will draw plenty of attention.
LeBron James has been blunt about his desire to play with his son. He's even suggested that he would sign with the team that drafts his son.
The earliest the two could play together would be in 2024. So, there's still a long way to go before teams can pencil him in as a potential draft selection.
Bronny, meanwhile, will continue to get recruited by colleges, even though there's been speculation about the next step of his basketball career.
Bronny James says he hopes to play in the NBA. If that doesn’t pan out, he says he’s “cool.”
@Chris_Ballard33 on LeBron, Bronny, Bryce and the dream to play in the NBA together: trib.al/CiR398N https://t.co/r7Oj0MfE4C
Observers will have to wait to see where Bronny plays next. As of now, the idea of LeBron and his son playing together in the NBA will remain only a "pipe dream."