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LeBron James is officially an embarrassment

Bronny is not Jokic. At that point in the 2nd round, I don't see a problem drafting a non guaranteed contract on a former McDonald's All American recovering from health issues. He doesn't make the team better or worse. The "father/son teammates" isn't official yet until pen hits paper (which probably happen but still). Nepotism influenced the draft pick but it's unlikely he's a difference maker to begin with because that doesn't happen at the 55th pick.
He'll be in the G League predominantly and maybe have the 1 game where they share the court which, criticism aside, is a cool moment just like the Griffeys taking the field.

Also, fun note. 1/2 of that Team USA posted got drafted or signed to some form of summer league deal this week.

I don't care that they took him when they did, as 2nd round picks are generally set up and viewed as worthless by the organizations and the league at this point. It's not like the Lakers invested seriously in him. It's more an indictment that the organization is being run by a player, which is never a good thing in my mind.

Also, the Griffeys were a cool moment because both made the MLB based on merit, and both had actually performed as a worthy professional once there. I couldn't care less about Lebron and Bronny playing together, because there is and was 0 chance of it ever happening legitimately.
 
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An absolute disgrace he held the Lakers hostage by forcing them to draft his son who wouldn’t even start in college as a sophomore.

Countless legendary players before him never had the nerve to force nepotism on their employers because they were man enough to admit their kids weren’t good enough.

I’m not even sure Bronny belonged in major D-1 let alone being drafted.

The drool fest on ESPN has begun
This is an overreaction. The NBA is full of nepotism at every level. It's more concerning that the kid will play with a congenital heart condition. He does not need the money. Risking sudden death for a sport makes little sense.
 
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A late 2nd round pick tends to have little value. Nevertheless, the Lakers should have never allowed this.

The Lakers could have also signed Bronny as a free agent and let him play summer league with his dad.
 
As a Laker fan growing up, I wish the Lakers would trade Lebron and we can include the rights to Bronny as well.
 
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Incessant Bronny James coverage just the latest sports media blunder​

By Phil Mushnick

First, to meet this month’s journalistic requirement. Here goes:

Bronny James, Bronny James, Bronny James.

There. That should do it.

The son of the almighty, enriched by Nike’s Communist China partners and Fourth World laborers despite his chosen omnipresence as a social and racial activist, the son without portfolio, yet drafted in the second round after one season of pedestrian college ball then held for ransom by his father-knows-best dad, has captured the full, daily attention of the media.

In other news, Illinois forward Coleman Hawkins, 22, has left to play basketball for Kansas State, lured at NIL auction for a reported $2 million.

You do understand by now, don’t you, that everything crooked about big-time, big-ticket college sports, save sucker-reliant sports gambling, is now legally in play?

Consider that teenaged recruits, once enrolled in college despite an inability to write or speak a cogent sentence, will, in addition to being only an athlete, now have lots of time and more money on their hands.

What could possibly go wrong that hasn’t already?

Well, there will be a lot more of it, especially between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., after and before practices and games, on and near big-time sports college campuses.

There will be more of everything — from speeding, to DUIs, to assaults, brawls inside and just outside after-hours joints, to drugs, to guns, to battered women — all with the considerable enabling of NIL payments in addition to full-ride scholarships and cash Pell Grants.

Of course most media, frightened by the escaping legitimacy, will be compliant. Don’t want to make waves, lose favor among colleges with large arenas and stadiums to fill and big TV deals to sustain. They’re in the taxpayer-funded “none of your business” business.

We media folks know it’s a farce, a fraud, a fix no better than game-throwing and points-shaving. Yet, we play along like those “useful idiots” Josef Stalin had “disappeared” from group political party photos, those who would next disappear from the face of the earth.

As the arrested and arraigned scholarship recruits — scholarship, another con! — TV, with billions invested in the fraud, will continue its Sgt. Schultz act, even sympathizing with the multimillion dollar head coaches for having to suffer the “off-field distractions” they could reasonably anticipate.

There are no more useful “useful idiots” than those assigned to call college games on TV. They’re in on the fix long before the games, increasingly determined by selfish incivility, begin.

Or are we to expect that these season-by-season NIL bribe auctions will be condemned on the air by the likes of Fox’s lead college duo of Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt, and the all-day-and-night panderers thrown at us by ESPN?

ESPN’s crew now includes longtime Alabama coaching kingpin Nick Saban, who retired then declared that the “student” in “student-athletics” is a con, though he didn’t include the part about how that con greatly enriched his fame and fortune by recruiting those who found it easier to carry a weapon than a text book.

And the presidents of Division I colleges who could act on their right-over-wrong consciences had better have fat severance packages.

Back to Bronny. Seems there was a threat that if he didn’t wind up on the roster of the Los Angeles LeBrons, King James would have him and his hidden talents shipped to play in Australia.

Sing it: “My Bronny lies over the ocean!” He could have put some shrimp on the bar-bie for all of us.

But why get on the kid for what his father does to him rather than for him?
 
Well. Phil definitely sounds like old man yells at cloud. More than normal. It's like 1 big tangent. He could've also chosen not to write about him but he needs to push himself in front of the line by being loud and coherent.

I'm not a big Mushnick fan but he looks to be right on target this time. We are going to see more bling & tats than you can imagine and that will be the least of our worries.

Let me guess. You thought Iverson was an embarrassment with his doorag too, huh?
 
Tats are not for me. But I know plenty of tatted up young kids who are as good a person as I have met. Playing with bling seems odd, but so did playing with shorts so low cut that they defied gravity staying up. Coached a lot of kids who wore them that way and found that was not a good way to determine who was a good kid either.
 
Well. Phil definitely sounds like old man yells at cloud. More than normal. It's like 1 big tangent. He could've also chosen not to write about him but he needs to push himself in front of the line by being loud and coherent.
Agreed; this is one of his worst efforts, ever. Just stupid and almost incoherent, a drunken-uncle, stream-of-consciousness rant based on cherry-picked examples, stereotypes, and dubious speculation.

I used to be a fan, and actually used to correspond with this guy. But somewhere along the way, he lost the thread. It was quite some time ago.
 
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Agreed; this is one of his worst efforts, ever. Just stupid and almost incoherent, a drunken-uncle, stream-of-consciousness rant based on cherry-picked examples, stereotypes, and dubious speculation.

I used to be a fan, and actually used to correspond with this guy. But somewhere along the way, he lost the thread. It was quite some time ago.
I disagree. Which sport is better off today than it was 50 years ago?

Football? Outrageous prices, licensing fees, constant brawls in the stands.

Baseball? Pitchers barely exist anymore, home runs barely mean anything

Basketball? - 3 point shoot outs with zero regard to rules that actually make the sport the sport.


The things Mushnick say are true. People just really have a hard to believing/hearing the hard truth.
 
I disagree. Which sport is better off today than it was 50 years ago?

Football? Outrageous prices, licensing fees, constant brawls in the stands.

Baseball? Pitchers barely exist anymore, home runs barely mean anything

Basketball? - 3 point shoot outs with zero regard to rules that actually make the sport the sport.


The things Mushnick say are true. People just really have a hard to believing/hearing the hard truth.
None of that has anything to do with this particular Mushnick column. You're just shooting out scattershot gripes.

But what business is better or deals more honestly or fairly with its customers now than it did 50 years ago? Sports is just another business.
 
This thing happened that has no actual affect on my life or anything around me, but it's different than what I am used to so I will now get mad and throw a fit.

Yes! Thank you!
 
This thing happened that has no actual affect on my life or anything around me, but it's different than what I am used to so I will now get mad and throw a fit.
You’ll understand one day when you have something to worry about and realize how the world works
 
Bronny

Funny how an “insignificant” 2nd rd draft pick gets the headline over the 1st round pick. Yeah, everybody is just making too big of a deal…. Sure
 
Who saw this coming. LOL


Sources: LeBron James staying with Lakers on $104M deal​

  • ESPN

LeBron James has agreed to a two-year, $104 million maximum contract to return to the Los Angeles Lakers, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday.

The deal includes a player option for the 2025-26 season and a no-trade clause, sources said.

James' return to Los Angeles will give him the chance to play with his son, Bronny, whom the Lakers drafted in the second round last week.

James, who will turn 40 on Dec. 30, is universally considered to be on the short list of the greatest players to ever step foot on a basketball court. The only player to eclipse 40,000 points scored in NBA history, he is eighth all time in assists, fourth in steals, sixth in 3-pointers made and third in free throws made.

Last season, James became the first player to make 20 All-Star teams, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -- whom he had already passed for the all-time scoring mark -- for the most in NBA history. James' 20 All-NBA selections and 13 first-team All-NBA selections are also the most in the history of the sport.

He also is the NBA's all-time leader in postseason points scored and is in the top 10 in rebounds (fourth), assists (second), steals (first), blocks (10th), 3-pointers made (third) and free throws made (first).

The four-time champion, who led the Lakers to their 17th title in 2020 in the NBA's bubble, averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game last season in his age-39 campaign. James, Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic were the only three players to average at least 25, 8 and 7 in the NBA last season.

The Lakers, though, were unable to get past the first round for the fourth time in his six seasons in Los Angeles. Before joining the Lakers, James reached the NBA Finals eight consecutive years with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers and won at least a single playoff series in 13 consecutive seasons.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.


 

Bronny James plans to sign multi-year, guaranteed contract with the Los Angeles Lakers: Report​


Dhani Joseph

Bronny will be playing with LeBron, guaranteed.

Bronny James, the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, plans to sign a multi-year guaranteed contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. With this contract, it guarantees that once the 2024-25 season begins, James will be a solidified player on the roster alongside his father, LeBron James.




Typically, players who are selected in the second round have not received guaranteed contracts. They have instead had to compete at a high level at both NBA Summer League and their respective teams' training camps to even receive a two-way contract.

However, James’ agent, Rich Paul, made it very clear that he would not be signing a two-way contract in an interview with Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes.

“Yes, that's absolutely true," Paul said. "Teams know that. I'm not doing that.”

This isn’t the first time that a second-round pick has gotten a guaranteed contract, though. As recently as last year’s draft, Jalen Pickett of the Denver Nuggets, who was picked 32nd, signed a four-year, $8.2 million contract with the Denver Nuggets with $5.8 million guaranteed. Chris Livingston of the Milwaukee Bucks, who was selected with the last pick in the second round of the same draft, signed a four-year, $7.6 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, including $3 million guaranteed. Keep in mind, though: Paul was also Livingston’s agent, which speaks to his power within NBA circles.

In James' introductory press conference on Tuesday, he spoke about joining the Lakers and playing with his father.

"Everything has been so surreal. Just trying to take it all in by the days," he said. "Extremely grateful for everything that JJ [Redick] and Rob [Pelinka] have given to me. I've just been extremely excited to get to work.

"I never really had a thought of me going to play with my dad, but that's always there to take part of. It wasn't a main focus of mine."

One of the biggest storylines throughout James' journey to the NBA is, of course, his famous father and doubts about his own talent. Now that he's LeBron's teammate on what hopes to be a title-contending team, he understands the level of pressure that is set to come his way.

"For sure an amplified amount of pressure. I've already seen it on social media and stuff on the internet, talking about how I might not deserve an opportunity," James said. "But I've been dealing with stuff like this my whole life. It's nothing different. It's more amplified for sure, but I can get through it."

"Rob and I did not give Bronny anything," new Lakers coach JJ Redick said. "Bronny has earned this. Bronny, who talks about his hard work. Bronny has earned this through hard work. For us, prioritizing player development, we view Bronny as like case study one. His base level of feel, athleticism, point of attack defender, shooting, passing; there's a lot to like about his game."


James is coming off a rather pedestrian freshman year at the University of Southern California statistically. The guard averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. However, James believes that the cardiac arrest he suffered last summer took a toll on his development.

"The time that I had off, I feel like I could've been perfecting my game more," James said. "I just feel like I've been given the opportunity to show what I can really do because I wasn't given that much of an opportunity at [USC]. So I'm excited for what is to come."

Despite those numbers, James will get the opportunity to not only develop on the fly with the Lakers and potentially see real minutes early on. He’ll also get to make history as part of the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA, and he believes learning from LeBron will only aid him in his transition to the pros.

"Just having that work ethic and coming in and getting your work in and listening to your coaches and being coachable," James said. "Stuff like that he's driven into my head my whole life."
 
I think once the Lakers saw the market and they realized they weren't going to get any combination of Klay/George/ or even Hartenstein, Lebron just took the money because they're not gonna get much better from the free agency market. Derozan maybe but the Lakers even before Lebron re-signed is not a desirable trade partner
 
Who saw this coming. LOL


Sources: LeBron James staying with Lakers on $104M deal​

  • ESPN

LeBron James has agreed to a two-year, $104 million maximum contract to return to the Los Angeles Lakers, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday.

The deal includes a player option for the 2025-26 season and a no-trade clause, sources said.

James' return to Los Angeles will give him the chance to play with his son, Bronny, whom the Lakers drafted in the second round last week.

James, who will turn 40 on Dec. 30, is universally considered to be on the short list of the greatest players to ever step foot on a basketball court. The only player to eclipse 40,000 points scored in NBA history, he is eighth all time in assists, fourth in steals, sixth in 3-pointers made and third in free throws made.

Last season, James became the first player to make 20 All-Star teams, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -- whom he had already passed for the all-time scoring mark -- for the most in NBA history. James' 20 All-NBA selections and 13 first-team All-NBA selections are also the most in the history of the sport.

He also is the NBA's all-time leader in postseason points scored and is in the top 10 in rebounds (fourth), assists (second), steals (first), blocks (10th), 3-pointers made (third) and free throws made (first).

The four-time champion, who led the Lakers to their 17th title in 2020 in the NBA's bubble, averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game last season in his age-39 campaign. James, Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic were the only three players to average at least 25, 8 and 7 in the NBA last season.

The Lakers, though, were unable to get past the first round for the fourth time in his six seasons in Los Angeles. Before joining the Lakers, James reached the NBA Finals eight consecutive years with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers and won at least a single playoff series in 13 consecutive seasons.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.
Let's put aside the nonsense surrounding LeBron's son for a moment.

I guess there was a world where LeBron was going to opt-out of his $50 million plus and go somewhere else. I'm not sure where that world is.

The real surprise is he didn't sign for the three years he could have. As it is, the contract appears to be one-year with a player option which means we're back here next year.
 
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