"Two people are laughing the loudest: Michael Jordan & LaVar Ball" - Jason Whitlock rips LeBron James & Lakers' decision to draft Bronny James
Bronny James and his father LeBron James are set to make history next NBA season. The LA Lakers finally pulled the trigger and landed Bronny with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, pairing up the young guard with the veteran forward to create the first father-son duo in the NBA.
While some fans were quick to hype up this move, others criticized the build-up and potential consequences that this pick could have.
Veteran analyst Jason Whitlock took to X to share his thoughts about this selection, saying this is a disservice to Bronny by the Lakers just to satisfy LeBron James' ego.
"A child born sliding into home plate still required help from his dad scoring a run. This is a longterm disservice to Bronny, all done to placate LeBron's ego. Two people are laughing the loudest: Michael Jordan and LaVar Ball," Whitlock wrote.
Even though Michael Jordan tried to get his sons to play basketball at the highest level, they couldn't enjoy the same success as His Airness. They took different paths in life and appear to be doing just fine.
As for LaVar, he worked hard to make his kids NBA players. He did the job with two of them, Lonzo and LaMelo, who got big contracts in the NBA. But LiAngelo was not able to make it.
The difference in these three cases is that neither Jordan nor Ball was involved in the fate of their kids, although LaVar tried to persuade teams to draft his kids.
Former Warriors GM Bob Myers told on national TV that Rich Paul was calling teams to tell them not to draft Bronny James or he would go play in Australia. This wasn't met with good eyes, although some fans seem to be happy about LeBron James fulfilling one of his dreams.
Bronny James reacts after becoming LeBron James's newest teammate
After picking Dalton Knecht at No. 17 yesterday, the Lakers went with Bronny James at No. 55 today. Several teams were said to be interested in acquiring James' services, including the Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers, but the Lakers got him in the end.
The young guard shared a two-word message on Instagram after the Lakers made the pick.
“Beyond blessed,” Bronny posted.
The stage is set for Bronny to show that he's actually better prepared to play in the NBA than some people think. LeBron James is expected to be there to guide his son during his rookie season, although he will need to sort out his contract situation first.