And breathe! The 2024 NBA Draft is finally over. After 58 intervals of suffocating wait and two nights, we now know the new address of all the selected rookies. And no, Bronny James is not going to Australia as Rich Paul allegedly threatened. After months of speculations, Bronny is finally LA Lakers-bound.

But as soon as his name was called on Thursday night, the murmurs began labeling Bronny a “Nepotism Baby”. Critics were unapologetic in discarding his years of honing the craft. But among all the bad press Bronny received, one stood out as an optimistic take, a take that at least gives the 19-year-old a chance to write his own history.

During the latest episode of “The Odd Couple”, the host Chris Broussard put forward an intriguing statistic. Talking to his co-host Rob Parker, the Fox analyst said, “Jalen Brunson, whose dad Rick was a journeyman in the NBA. The Hardaways (Tim). The Grants. Well, the story was that the legacies, the kids of NBA players, they outperform their draft slot. So in this case, Bronny’s drafted 55th. He will be better than the 55th pick in a draft typically is. And it was about 30% of the time that happens, but that was higher than most other situations for players that aren’t legacy.”

The Dallas Mavericks picked Jalen Brunson 33rd overall in 2018. Till the 2020-21 season, Brunson played a sixth-man role before breaking out in the 2022 NBA Playoffs. After contract issues with the Mavs, Brunson joined the Knicks and never looked back ever since. Not only did the former Villanova guard excel in his role but went above and beyond last season.

Up until his injury in the Pacers series, Brunson was dropping Michael Jordan-esque numbers. If Bronny can replicate anything similar to Brunson’s form, then the Lakers have a bargain in their hands. But what value do the Lakers see in Bronny? There’s only one man fit to answer the question, the franchise GM, Rob Pelinka.

Rob Pelinka Clarifies Reason Behind Bronny James’ Selection

After Bronny James went undrafted on the first night, quite a few experts, adept at measuring a situation’s pulse, sent out a concerning message to Pelinka. The GM was reportedly urged not to embarrass LeBron by letting Bronny go undrafted. But ending all those bad omens, the Lakers utilized their 55th pick to bag Bronny.

After the conclusion of the draft, Pelinka revealed the reason behind the move. “NBA history could be made, and NBA history should be made in a Lakers uniform… He had a great draft workout with us where he displayed those qualities to me.”

Pelinka also praised James Jr.’s workhorse approach and expressed his confidence in JJ Redick to find the right fit for the rookie.

The history Pelinka mentioned here is the fact that LeBron-Bronny will be the first father-son duo in the NBA to play in the same colors. Now with everything set, Bronny can concentrate on joining the Lakers while LeBron can go to the Olympics. The only minor inconvenience left is LeBron’s future with the Lakers. However, with a new contract on the horizon, LeBron’s stay looks confirmed.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what brand maker, Leonard Armato, had to say about the deadly duo, Shaq and Kobe, check out this video