Bronny is a waste of a roster spot

[bonita_the_frog]

The issue is not about wasting a roster spot (and i agree he isn't wasting it anyway), the issue is why you'd choose to put your son in such a horrific situation where everybody will be saying he doesn't belong in the NBA. What kind of father does this? And just after Bronny's heart problem too...
This is the complete opposite of what a good father does, as Bronny is being fed to the wolves, and with no way to save himself.

Lebron very well might have goat IQ on the court. Off the court, i’d say he’s well below average. He’s a well meaning fool for putting his son in this situation. He really thought he was doing him a favor by forcing him to pros when he’s clearly not ready.

Or he was only thinking of himself (his well-known desire to play on the same team as his son).

[MavsDirk41]

The issue is not about wasting a roster spot (and i agree he isn't wasting it anyway), the issue is why you'd choose to put your son in such a horrific situation where everybody will be saying he doesn't belong in the NBA. What kind of father does this? And just after Bronny's heart problem too...
This is the complete opposite of what a good father does, as Bronny is being fed to the wolves, and with no way to save himself.

He's showing his son how positions of power work. Hard work and talent are obviously still extremely important, but power and influence are huge too.

In addition, he's teaching his son how to handle scrutiny and the opinions of others in the face of adversity. Those are actually values that stoicism teaches. Fathers rarely teach that stuff and it becomes something that young adults have to learn by themselves.

So, props to Bron.

Lol what? He wanted to play with his son, which i understand, but i think you are giving James way too much credit with the rest of your post. Bronny will never be a part of the rotation and will probably be out of the league once James retires.

[HotelVitale]

jaden smith has hit records and movies. Bronny has neither. But at least hes not a weirdo well than that puts jaden 2steps ahead of bronny. i think i'll have to search for an even LOWER bar nepo than jaden. dino martin maybe

Browny generated $50 million in revenue through jersey sales.

said

The Lakers profit from LeBron, and they sell Bronny jerseys. .

The NBA is entertainment first, he's got tons of fans, sells tons of jerseys and is the Jr to the guy who's going to retire as the 2nd goat.

I've looked at this jersey sales claim before and it seems almost definitely fake. As does the idea that it created massive profit for the lakers. First, the $50m in sales thing seems like nothing more than an urban legend, if your search for it the only reference for it is an article in a Spanish-language sports tabloid called marca.com--which only cites Gilbert Arenas' podcast as the source of the info (the citation is really vague too, doesn’t even quote Arenas or anything).

I'm also not sure how you would calculate this--the NBA licenses the names and logos out to clothing companies and they pay the NBA for it and then the jerseys are sold in many many places, and it seems unlikely that someone is tracking every single jersey sold by player name and then compiling them all into a database.

You might say that we all articles about top jersey sales, but those are just one online retailer reporting on their sales. And it’s worth noting Bronny didn't appear in the top 10 of that for last year, which seems pretty weird if he'd already sold 500k jerseys by Dec of last year.

Also the NBA makes money off jersey sales since they’re the ones licensing apparel, and the NBA shares it with all the teams and not just the Lakers. So the idea that the Lakers ‘made $50m off Bronny jerseys’ is off and the fact that it’s repeated over in places that talk about Bronny's jersey sales indicates those sources don’t know what they’re talking about.

Also Bronny just isn't a particularly popular figure. He wasn't a particularly exciting HS player or someone who was a superstar in viral highlight reels. He's not a charismatic personality, he's not famous among non-basketball people for any reason, etc. He's just a quiet kid who was a solid HS player and a very forgettable college one, and he's got a good-sized but not outrageous following online because of his father and fame. He's not a massively beloved figure or someone with a cult following, and it seems weird that he would have half a million people lining up to buy his jerseys as soon as they came out.

[Lockdown504090]

i dont see the purpose of waiving him. who do you think they are going to fill the roster spot with that provides more value than adding to lebrons legacy. I can look at 20 other rosters and nitpick what reasons people have for players being on the floor other than their on-court production. This really doesnt matter.

if he ends up being a rotation player, its a miracle. if not, is this really altering the lakers as an organization?

Malik Beasley is still not on a roster and would be a rotation player for them.

Ayton/Kleber/Hayes
Rui/Venderbilt
James/Laravia/Knecht
Reaves/Beasley
Doncic/Smart/Vincent

Thats a much better team.

Hes not signing with the lakers though. They dont have enough playing time for him. Hes waiting for an injury so he can get the same role he had in detroit to make the money he lost back from the gambling scandal.

[Dr Aki]

Such polemics for a 14th/15th end of the bench guy.

[OriAr]

He's the 15th guy on the roster; he's not a waste of a roster spot more than any other player would be in that spot.

[JayMKE]

The 15th man isn’t on the roster right to be a rotation player

[lambchop]

The issue is not about wasting a roster spot (and i agree he isn't wasting it anyway), the issue is why you'd choose to put your son in such a horrific situation where everybody will be saying he doesn't belong in the NBA. What kind of father does this? And just after Bronny's heart problem too...
This is the complete opposite of what a good father does, as Bronny is being fed to the wolves, and with no way to save himself.

Lebron very well might have goat IQ on the court. Off the court, i’d say he’s well below average.

"Well below average" would be considered mild retardation. I wouldn't be surprised if most NBA players would be considered that, including LBJ. But I think we'd still need more proof.

[lambchop]

The issue is not about wasting a roster spot (and i agree he isn't wasting it anyway), the issue is why you'd choose to put your son in such a horrific situation where everybody will be saying he doesn't belong in the NBA. What kind of father does this? And just after Bronny's heart problem too...
This is the complete opposite of what a good father does, as Bronny is being fed to the wolves, and with no way to save himself.

He's showing his son how positions of power work. Hard work and talent are obviously still extremely important, but power and influence are huge too.

In addition, he's teaching his son how to handle scrutiny and the opinions of others in the face of adversity. Those are actually values that stoicism teaches. Fathers rarely teach that stuff and it becomes something that young adults have to learn by themselves.

So, props to Bron.

Lol what? He wanted to play with his son, which i understand, but i think you are giving James way too much credit with the rest of your post. Bronny will never be a part of the rotation and will probably be out of the league once James retires.

The poster said this was a horrible thing to do as a father. I mean imagine your dad putting you on an NBA roster and now, oh my gosh, people are actually looking at you and stuff. Sounds like some excruciating tribulations to me. Such a bad father indeed.

Anyway, my counter argument is that it will in fact help forge Bronny's character now that he has to deal with all the extreme pressure of putting on a Lakers jersey, playing spot minutes and earning millions in the process. David Goggins would be proud of how Bronny has persevered against all odds.

[GrindCityHustle]

I believe LeBron wanted a moment to play with his son as being a father is important to him. I respect him for that as he had the pull to do it and didn't care what others thought.

However... I agree with what someone said earlier about it being a two way deal and it just should have been one NBA game played for the record books. Bronny should then have gone overseas and came back to the Lakers once LeBron actually retired. I think people would have accepted that narrative better.

[The Servant]

He's the 15th guy on the roster; he's not a waste of a roster spot more than any other player would be in that spot.

When I first started watching basketball, the team that got me into it was the Phoenix Suns. They had a player named Pat Burke who would come in during blow outs, and the fans loved him. They'd feed him the ball and this 6'11 bald Irish dude would shoot 3s and this was in the era when the stretch big man was far more rare. When Pat Burke was making threes it was the final dagger, you knew it was done.

Bronny is occupying the roster spot that a player like Pat Burke would take up. It is not a big deal. That being said I saw some low lights and he is not up to the level of the NBA but its also pre season and he has a lot of developing to do.

[Ice Man]

I remember thinking when seeing all those videos about 14 year old Bronny, this sounds like jock-hugging bull. Ummm, yes. Now I think fondly on all those hours I saved by never opening any of them.

[SkyHook]

He's the 15th guy on the roster; he's not a waste of a roster spot more than any other player would be in that spot.

When I first started watching basketball, the team that got me into it was the Phoenix Suns. They had a player named Pat Burke who would come in during blow outs, and the fans loved him. They'd feed him the ball and this 6'11 bald Irish dude would shoot 3s and this was in the era when the stretch big man was far more rare. When Pat Burke was making threes it was the final dagger, you knew it was done.

Bronny is occupying the roster spot that a player like Pat Burke would take up. It is not a big deal. That being said I saw some low lights and he is not up to the level of the NBA but its also pre season and he has a lot of developing to do.

This is a good explanation. Bronny is essentially the court jester of this current Lakers squad.

[Pelly24]

I've been up and down on Bronny, but his performance in the GLeague last year was legitimately a major leap forward for him. He showed things as a shot-creator and driver and scorer and playmaker he literally never did in high school. And i watched his whole career essentially from late 8th grade AAU on. He looked way better than Dalton Knecht when they were in summer league last year. He's like, two or three years younger. It's such a big leap that I no longer feel comfortable making any definitive assessments. He hasn't played well in preseason and he should've never been given a guaranteed contract. But i think on talent and what he's shown, he can be an NBA player one day. I just don't know if that's necessarily this year or next. He'd be fine on a two-way though.

[MavsDirk41]

He's showing his son how positions of power work. Hard work and talent are obviously still extremely important, but power and influence are huge too.

In addition, he's teaching his son how to handle scrutiny and the opinions of others in the face of adversity. Those are actually values that stoicism teaches. Fathers rarely teach that stuff and it becomes something that young adults have to learn by themselves.

So, props to Bron.

Lol what? He wanted to play with his son, which i understand, but i think you are giving James way too much credit with the rest of your post. Bronny will never be a part of the rotation and will probably be out of the league once James retires.

The poster said this was a horrible thing to do as a father. I mean imagine your dad putting you on an NBA roster and now, oh my gosh, people are actually looking at you and stuff. Sounds like some excruciating tribulations to me. Such a bad father indeed.

Anyway, my counter argument is that it will in fact help forge Bronny's character now that he has to deal with all the extreme pressure of putting on a Lakers jersey, playing spot minutes and earning millions in the process. David Goggins would be proud of how Bronny has persevered against all odds.

He got a guaranteed 4 year, 8 million dollar contract, not because he earned it, but because his dad pressured the Lakers to draft him and sign him to that contract. How many other players drafted in the spot he was drafted have ever received a contract similar to that? And nobody has any clue how he is dealing with the pressure of trying to earn that contract and being in the spotlight constantly just because of who your dad is. ESPN showed a highlight of his from their first preseason game making a basket, and he was like 1 of 12 from the field or something. Its a little bit much i think.

[maverick_41]

Oh, we substituted our annual Udonis Haslem thread with a Bronny thread. Nice.

The same arguments from both sides anyway. And no real suggestions for an MIP worthy 15th man to roster instead of the main antagonist.

[HotelVitale]

Such polemics for a 14th/15th end of the bench guy.

He's the 15th guy on the roster; he's not a waste of a roster spot more than any other player would be in that spot.

The 15th man isn’t on the roster right to be a rotation player

[Bronny is occupying the roster spot that a player like Pat Burke would take up. It is not a big deal.

I agree that keeping your world-famous star (who chose your franchise happy) is a good use of your last roster spot, but you guys keep talking like there's absolutely nothing ever to be gained from that spot and it's always a joke, and there's gotta be a little more nuance to this. There are right now many many good players who might be able to crack a rotation who aren't rostered, and there are plenty of rotation or better players who started off as last roster spots.

On an average team, sure, the last roster spot is probably a guy who won't play anything but trash minutes, but the whole point is to use that spot to hunt for the guys who might be able to contribute. Bunch of solid players now were full on end of roster dudes, Haywood Highsmith, Duncan Robinson, Paul Reed, Royce O'Neale, TJ McConnell, J Grant, Gabe Vincent, etc.

Also Bronny got a fully guaranteed 3-year deal (4th year is team option) which means the team is kind of locked into him as the last roster guy for those years. Is it likely they would get someone who could be a legit backup wing and play solid minutes? No, but it's also possible. (Both of my Sixers end-of-roster guys are likely to play some kind of rotation minutes this year). And it's also possible that Bronny taking up that spot is preventing some guy who could get to that level from getting to that point, especially if the guy had 3 years of stability to adapt and show his game.

I agree people are misplacing passion and outrage on the topic, but seems like the take should be more like 'in weird circumstances keeping a star happy is worth burning a roster spot' than 'it's always okay to burn a roster spot, it's totally useless so who gaf?'

[xdrta+]

I don't see much similar outrage over Giannis's brother getting a spot on the Bucks roster. And now a third brother getting a two-way spot there. All done to keep the superstar happy (and maybe keep him period.) Teams do whatever's in the best interest for the team. This is not news.

[maverick_41]

Hey, the Bucks just waived their 14th guy.

It's high time for everyone to sign him and win the NBA title! Or I am missing the main point and only the 15th guy is precious and miraculously impactful?

[Golabki]

I don't see much similar outrage over Giannis's brother getting a spot on the Bucks roster. And now a third brother getting a two-way spot there. All done to keep the superstar happy (and maybe keep him period.) Teams do whatever's in the best interest for the team. This is not news.

I'm not outraged. It's kind sad though. Like, any child of a famous rich person is going to be defined by their parent. But the way LeBron has handled his relationship Bronny, including naming him "Bronny," is kinda yucky, just speaking as a parent.

Additionally, I think Thanasis get's treated a little unfairly here. When he came over he had proven himself Europe. He was a decent depth forward in the NBA for a couple years, of the kind most teams have. Obviously he ended up in on the Bucks because of Giannis, but he could have made another team.

That said, Thanasis is pretty cooked at this point so the new contract, and the one for Alex, are obviously nepotism. Although, it's less yucky because it's brothers, not children, and there's less public evidence that it was orchestrated by Giannis directly.