The news that the NBA community was waiting to hear. Who will draft Bronny James? As the 2nd round of the NBA Draft night was getting closer to a finish, James Jr.’s name was not heard from any teams. But as it got closer to No. 55, the Los Angeles Lakers wasted no time getting the firstborn of LeBron James, effectively making them the first-ever father-son duo to be in the NBA at the same time.
The anxious father has yet to say anything about his son’s big night. And why is that?
Simply because the 4x champion never stopped his grind for the next big stage, the Paris Olympics. In the latest story updates on Instagram, James re-shared a video by one of the most well-known trainers in the United States, Chris Brickley. Tagging the 2x Olympic Gold medalist, Brickley captioned the video of Bron getting his shots up at his training center, Summit (NY), with two emojis. One was that of a crown and then a gold medal with the word “chasing” in between. However, there were some interesting developments in Round 2 of the NBA draft.
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Minnesota, who Rich Paul had said was interested in Bronny James, traded their pick to Detroit. The Pistons then used it to select Swedish forward, Bobi Klintman at No. 37. Interestingly, the other two teams associated with the former USC guard also jumped in ahead of the LA side to get to the draftees. Phoenix, who had the 56th pick, made a long jump to 40, to acquire Marquette center, Oso Ighodaro. As for the Mavs, who had the final pick of the night, moved up to 51 to get another Frenchman, Melvin Ajinça, to Dallas.
Just like that, the Purple & Gold had their way cleared of any roadblocks in drafting Bronny James. But there must have been some sort of celebration or a reaction from the James clan to this historic moment, right?
LeBron James was on an “emotional” rollercoaster as the news broke about his son’s draft
For all those wondering what the James’ are up to, Lakers’ reporter, Dave McMenamin, has them covered. Malika Andrews, covering the NBA draft, reached out to the veteran reporter for updates on Bronny’s family and, more importantly, the reaction of LeBron James to the good news. The entire clan, along with close friend and agent, Paul, Savannah’s parents, and Gloria, had reportedly gotten together for a dinner in NYC, awaiting the news. It was an intimate gathering with the number coming to under 20 members.
“When they got the call from the Lakers, LeBron James had a champagne toast to everyone there … sources tell me, he got very emotional considering the weight of the moment,” Dave said. It surely was an emotional situation. However, as the ESPN reporter noted, it wasn’t simply the historic moment or the fruition of James’ desire that had the ‘Akron Hammer’ choke up. The whole of last year has been tumultuous for the James family, to say the least.
The cardiac arrest incident, Bronny getting back to full health to the point where he could make his USC debut, the underwhelming season yet heavily overwhelming hate and criticism from fans, and analysis’ that predicted his downfall, all brought the family to this very significant moment of Bronny’s life.
To say LeBron James was emotional would probably be an understatement!
With the son having done his part, it’s the father’s chance next. Bronny wasn’t the only one who was under the spotlight. His dad has a decision to make regarding his free agency. Los Angeles secured James Jr. Can they do the same with James Sr.? Let’s wait and see.
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But before you go, be sure to check this video of Leonardo Armato’s take on the deadly duo, Shaq and Kobe.
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