Unless you were under a rock in the sports world or distracted by that gawd awful presidential debate, Bronny James was drafted by Lakers. The same team his father leads on the court. But before the Lakers brass publicly announced their selection of Bronny with the No. 55 pick, they made a phone call to inform the 19-year-old personally about their intentions to draft him.
All captured behind-the-scenes draft-night, the phone call, made by Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick, showed a heartfelt conversation with the USC Trojans guard.
First, Pelinka praised James for his dedication, saying, “I think first and foremost, you’ve worked incredibly hard, man. You’ve put in a ton of work. When we had lunch up at the facility for your workout, we talked about your work ethic, and that means a lot to us. Second to that, you’re a player of high character and a person of high character, and that is valued at the Lakers. And so it’s important for Coach Redick and I to let you know those qualities really stand out.”
New head coach Redick added his congratulations: “Bronny, this is JJ. I just wanted to say congrats, man. Your hard work’s paid off. You’re going to have a long NBA career and I can’t wait to coach you, man.”
Pelinka concluded the call with, “We’ll see you soon, Bronny. The work begins.”
“Yes, sir,” James cordially responded.
ICYMI, Thursday, James joined No. 17 pick Dalton Knecht to complete the Lakers’ 2024 draft class. Assuming and hopefully he makes the Lakers’ roster, Bronny and his father, LeBron, will become the first father-son duo to play together on an NBA team. But Bronny’s first test will be during the NBA Summer League, starting July 6 in San Francisco.
The post Lakers Rob Pelinka, JJ Redick Called Bronny James Before Making Historic 55th Pick first appeared on The Source.
The post Lakers Rob Pelinka, JJ Redick Called Bronny James Before Making Historic 55th Pick appeared first on The Source.