Ok, I agree that Lebron earned the right to run the show. Wasn’t sure if “they” implied that Bronny earned his spot, which he plainly didn’t. And just because Lebron earned the right, doesn’t mean he should invoke it, that’s my only point really. Nepotism usually isn’t a good look.
If Jokic made the Nuggets check his 3-year old daughter into a game and she ran around the court a little I guess he earned the right to do that, but I’m not sure we’d fawn over it as an incredible historic event of father and daughter playing together for the first time in the NBA.
Giannis thing is very similar but different in an important way.
Bronny doesn’t need money. As LeBron’s kid he is set for life and will inherit bigly when LeBron is gone.
Thanasis is only Giannis’s brother, so Giannis just straight up giving him cash to live off of is a bit of a different dynamic. This is a way to do it that is less like a handout (but still a handout).
It’s not really a handout when it comes from your dad (at least that’s how I feel about it).
But I’d agree that from the team’s perspective it’s the same.
Thanasis has been extremely bad in the NBA, but in his defense he does have some pedigree (won the Greek league MVP in 2017 which is roughly 2nd tier level league in Europe).
thats kinda the point though, no one gave a shit about Giannis bringing his nepo brother into the league, but Lebron bringing his nepo son into the league is supposed to be some kind of cant miss tv/historical moment that we are supposed to care about? the media trying to turn this into the biggest story of the season is kinda weird.
That’s fair, but at least my twitter feed is showing way more “hate” towards it than i think is justified. “Stain on his legacy” quoted here. I don’t see it.
If anything it’s incredible that Lebron actually made it this far still playing at almost the highest level in the league. We’ve been hearing about the potential Lebron-Bronny playing together since Bronny was 13 and I don’t think many imagined Lebron being at this level when it happens.
Thanasis was more ready to play minutes his first year with Bucks than Bronny is now. But Thanasis was basically drawing dead to ever being a contributing NBA player. At his size as a big you need to exceptional at 2/3 of defending, playmaking or defending. And his skill level was basically set.
At Bronnys size he’s drawing pretty thin. But he at least has an outside chance of being a rotation player one day. Especially when you factor in his genetics and having Dad help train him. Late 2nd round picks are longshots anyways.
Nobody treated Thanasis and Giannis playing together as some historic moment. Nor do I think Giannis expected anybody too. I guess you could say my displeasure should be focused more at the ESPN’s of the world than Lebron himself, but you know he’s lapping this stuff up and knew it would be treated as such.
It’s only ridiculous became Lebron had a kid at 19 and then forced the Laker to draft and play him. Plenty of all-time greats have played at age 39, they just either didn’t have a kid young enough or force a team to play their kid.
If Bronny deserved a spot, it would be an accomplishment, but not sure why this is something we should be celebrating.
We shouldn’t be “celebrating it”, but it’s still pretty wild. My point was there is a very good reason why this is more of a spectacle than Giannis and bro.
But it’s not “wild” IMO if it’s not organically deserved/earned. It’s basically just evidence that an all-time NBA great had a kid at a fairly young age. If MJ decided that on his way out he wanted 15-year old Marcus to take the court with him in a Wizards game, would that have been “wild”? I mean, I guess in a different way, but not in the way you’re claiming Bronny/LBJ is “wild”.
That would have been way more contrived, but still wild.
Bronny did play in college and followed more or less the standard path (with LeBron paving the way the whole time obviously).
Even with nepotism it’s a hard thing to accomplish. You need a parlay of
1- Be great
2- Durable enough to play forever and still be great
3- Have a kid young
4- Kid has to be decent enough at basketball to be college roster worthy
Again I don’t think it’s a “great” accomplishment to be “celebrated”. It’s just a pretty fucking unusual thing to see and it is unlikely that we will see it again.
Thanasis was at least close to an NBA caliber player. He was drafted by the Knicks (and IIRC it wasn’t just to try to steal Giannis as he wasn’t that great yet). He did barely play for the Knicks, but was decent on their G-league team. Sure, he probably doesn’t deserve his spot now, but I bet he’s at least decent in practice (helps that he’s big and can play at least passable defense).