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Los Angeles Lakers coach J.J. Redick claimed rookie guard Bronny James, the son of teammate and NBA all-time leading scorer LeBron James, "earned" his spot on the team's roster during the Lakers' rookie introductory press conference on Tuesday (July 2).
Redick corrected the younger James after he thanked him and general manager Rob Pelinka for everything they've "given" him after being selected No. 55 overall in the second-round of the 2024 NBA Draft last week.
"Rob and I did not give Bronny anything," Redick said during the press conference, which also introduced first-round pick Dalton Knecht, via ESPN. "Bronny has earned this. ... Bronny has earned this through hard work."
Bronny had a strong showing in the pre-draft process recently, despite averaging just 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists during his lone collegiate season, which was delayed after he suffered cardiac arrest in January. The 19-year-old rated as a five-star prospect and ranked as the No. 5 combo guard, No. 4 player from the state of California and No. 22 overall prospect for the 2023 national recruiting cycle, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
The selection came shortly after former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Meyers reported that Rich Paul, who represents both Bronny and LeBron, demanded teams ahead of the Lakers not select the younger James and threatened his client would play in Australia. Many had speculated that James would be targeted by his father's team as LeBron has an option to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Lakers this offseason.
James did opt out of the final year of his contract after his son's selection last week, but likely did so to take a more team-friendly deal and allow Los Angeles to free up cap space for a potential acquisition, as he'd publicly stated his goal to play alongside his son dating back to Bronny's high school recruitment. LeBron and Bronny would become the first father-son duo to play in the NBA at the same time.