Bronny and LeBron James achieved a rare feat during the Lakers-Wolves opening night clash. A father-son duo shared the NBA court for the first time in league history. Instead of cherishing this moment, several naysayers were bashing the teenager for receiving undeserving playing time. Avery Johnson slams these same naysayers in a rant on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
Advertisement
Bronny and LeBron stepping foot on the court together was one of the highly-anticipated moments of the 2024-2025 season. Since LBJ has been extremely vocal about his desire to play with his son, JJ Redick got this much-awaited moment over behind them in the second quarter.
The basketball world got to see the family members play together early on, allowing the Lakers to focus on the task at hand – clinching the win.
“They wanted to get that moment behind him because a guy that’s in his 22nd year – that’s given so much to the game of basketball, wherever you want to rank him – this was his moment. He’s earned it. It wasn’t nothing about his ego. I just think there’s a lot of jealousy and hate towards this situation. That’s really unnecessary,” the San Antonio Spurs legend says.
“I just think there’s a lot of jealously and hate towards this situation that’s really unnecessary”
Avery Johnson talks about the debut of Bronny James last night #LakeShow@CoachAvery6 | @WorldWideWob | @adaniels33 pic.twitter.com/mWEjttjRip
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) October 23, 2024
LeBron has accomplished every possible feat. Playing with his son was a lifelong dream bigger than any silverware. However, critics tried diminishing this iconic moment, claiming that Bronny is a product of nepotism.
Antonio Daniels would love being in LeBron’s position
Antonio Daniels spoke about the same situation on SiriusXM NBA Radio even before opening night.
The former Spur urged every basketball fan to reflect on this moment from Bron’s perspective. He nearly lost his son due to a cardiac arrest. Just more than a year later, his eldest child is fit enough to play in the NBA. Stepping on the court together made this moment even more special.
“Me being a dad and having a son who’s six years old, like man, you know what I would give to have an opportunity to do something like that with my son?
Like this isn’t normal. This isn’t normal. This isn’t regular. And I think people have spent so much time trying to break down why it’s wrong and why Bronny doesn’t belong and he only averaged five points a game and all this other kind of stuff. And looking at the human element of this, I love it. I love it,” Daniels said.
With the moment behind them, LeBron and Bronny can now fully concentrate on their respective goals. The 39-year-old will focus on improving his performance after a lackluster Game 1. Whereas, Bronny can dedicate himself to refining his skills and preparing for an inevitable brief stint in the G-League.
