The son of National Basketball Association (NBA) star LeBron James (39), Brownie James (19), has been drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers.
This is the first time in NBA history that a father and son will play for the same team.
The Lakers selected Brownie with the 55th pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft on Monday (June 28) at ESPN’s Seaport District studios in New York City.
Lakers legend LeBron and his son, Brown, will share the yellow jerseys starting in the 2024-2025 season.
While there have been generations of fathers and sons playing in the NBA, there has never been a father and son in the NBA at the same time.
LeBron has always expressed his desire to be on the court with his son.
“My last year will be the year I play with my son,” he told The Athletic in 2022.
Brownie, born in 2004, is the first son of LeBron, who was born in 1984.
The guard, who enrolled at the University of Southern California (USC) last year, returned to the court in December after collapsing from cardiac arrest during practice last July. The NBA’s physical fitness panel medically cleared him to enter the draft.
He averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists while playing 19.4 minutes per game in one season.
He is considered a strong defender.
However, at 6-foot-7, he’s shorter than LeBron (6-foot-10) and not as athletic as his father, who is considered the greatest of all time.
“If he can regain his pre-heart attack form in terms of game sense, height, size, shot-making, and defensive competitiveness, he’ll have a lot to gain in the long run,” ESPN said of Brown.
LeBron posted a photo of himself in a Lakers jersey with Brown on social media, calling it a “legacy” and expressing his joy.
LeBron’s teammate Anthony Davis told ESPN, “He’s a very good defender. I think he’s a very good playmaker. The way he reads the defense and makes good passes is impressive,” Davis told ESPN.
Lakers executive vice president and general manager Rob Pelinka said, “Never in the history of the NBA has a father and son shared the court together. It’s going to be magical.”
“We know that LeBron has decided to opt-out (a player’s right to decide to become a free agent if he achieves results during the term of his contract), but if he plays for us next season, he will make NBA history. That history should be made in a Lakers uniform,” he emphasized.
“First and foremost, he has great character,” Pelinka said. He trains incredibly hard, and these are important qualities that we look for when selecting and developing players,” said Pelinka. 메이저사이트