Leading into the 2024 NBA Draft, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Los Angeles Lakers would select Bronny James with the 55th overall pick. And when the time came and the Lakers were on the clock, general manager Rob Pelinka, head coach JJ Redick and the front office made the call to make Bronny a member of the franchise.
Bronny, of course, is the son of current Lakers superstar LeBron James and the two will become the first father-son duo to play in the NBA at the same time. And while much of the focus will be on LeBron and Bronny playing together, the day was extremely special for Bronny just to be drafted in the first place.
It is extremely special for any player to hear their name called on draft night and to receive that call from the team selecting you. That was very much the case for Bronny and the Lakers made sure to capture the moment of Pelinka and Redick making that call to him to let him know the team would be taking him 55th overall:
Behind the call for pick No. 55 📞 pic.twitter.com/Dcn1nnwLlU
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) June 28, 2024
Regardless of whether some think James was deserving of being drafted, it can not be argued that he has put in a ton of work to get to this point. The amount of pressure on him, being the son of LeBron, is immense and unlike anything any other draft prospect had to deal with and Bronny has handled it all with a ton of grace.
As Pelinka said, Bronny’s work ethic and high character stand out as things the Lakers value. But his skillset is there as well and there was a reason he was a McDonalds All-American in high school. Bronny is a great defender and excellent athlete who has a great feel for the game which shouldn’t come as a surprise considering his father.
Bronny has put in the work and is deserving of that moment of Pelinka and Redick making that call to let him know he will be a member of the Lakers.
Current and former NBA stars congratulate Bronny James being drafted by the Lakers
The basketball world was able to witness Bronny James being taken 55th overall by the Lakers and many took to social media to congratulate the son of LeBron James on the accomplishment.
Current Lakers such as Austin Reaves and Jarred Vanderbilt posted on Instagram while Lakers legend Magic Johnson shared a lengthy post on X. Additionally, other NBA stars such as Chris Paul and Dejounte Murray gave their congrats as well.
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