With the 55th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James from USC. While a majority of basketball fans called into question the role of LeBron James in landing his son a job with the Lakers, Paul Pierce sees the situation differently. As the first father-son duo in the NBA, the Celtics legend thinks that Bronny and LeBron playing together is one of the greatest moments in sports history.
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The 46-year-old even congratulated his long-time rival on making the whole situation happen. During a recent appearance on FS1’s sports talk show ‘Undisputed’, Pierce reacted to Bronny getting drafted by the Lakers in the second round. The former Celtics guard found nothing wrong with the situation, and actually lauded the move, calling it an important moment in sporting history. Talking about it further he said,
“This is the most fascinating thing we’ve seen in sports. A father-son combination [in the league]… The longevity is just not there as a basketball player, on average you play 3, 4 years as a player… So to have a situation where your son is playing with you in an NBA game…”
Pierce also pointed out that in sports like baseball, a father-son due is highly possible due to lower levels of wear and tear, making longevity an easier task as compared to basketball and football where players don’t average more than 3 seasons in a professional league.
“This is the most fascinating thing we’ve ever seen in sports.”@PaulPierce34 on LeBron & Bronny becoming first father-son duo in the NBA pic.twitter.com/Gs1qg63VoL
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) June 28, 2024
On the flip side, James played 21 seasons before Bronny managed to hop on the Lakers, a testament to his longevity and resilience. So for the 39-year-old to pull off playing alongside his oldest son, is undoubtedly an achievement that caps off his Hall of Fame career perfectly. Even a known King James critic like Pierce couldn’t deny James’s historic run in the league, further added,
“So to do it in basketball… You have to be good and great for a long time… And to do it as LeBron James… To now your son is in the NBA, playing with you on the most storied franchise in NBA history I mean, I don’t know, this might be the greatest story ever told.”
Moving forward, Pierce revealed that he was waiting on a King James docu-series, even claiming that it would most probably be 12-13 parts deep due to James having such an eventful and long career. But what makes the whole situation special is that no other NBA superstar has managed to guide his sons into playing in the NBA. From Jordan to Wilt, no other G.O.A.T. candidate had a son playing in the NBA at the same time, and this achievement just adds to The Akron Hammer’s legacy as the modern era’s best player.
