It hasn’t been hard to find discussions about LeBron and Bronny James becoming the first father-son duo to share a court in NBA history on Wednesday.
But while there have been plenty of arguments about the authenticity of the milestone and whether it was deserved, what’s been more difficult to find are conversations about the basketball implications of the historic moment.
On ESPN’s First Take, Brian Windhorst attempted to do just that. And in doing so, he even went as far as to praise the Los Angeles Lakers’ handling of the situation from a basketball perspective.
“What the Lakers are doing here is trying to get the most out of LeBron,” Windhorst said. “This is an investment, not just in history, it’s an investment in engaging and energizing your franchise player at age 39. And I think it’s working. LeBron is completely engaged and energized. And I think JJ Redick is making a very smart move totally leaning into this. Totally embracing this. Setting this up and making it happen.”
Windhorst continued: “It’s not going to define the season. I don’t even know if it’s going to define this week for the Lakers. But it’s going to be so important to their franchise player.”
While one could certainly question why LeBron — who signed a two-year, $101 million extension with the Lakers this past offseason — would need such tactics to motivate him, the reality is there aren’t any NBA insiders who know the four-time MVP as well as Windhorst does. Having had a front-row seat for most of James’ career dating back to his high school days, Windhorst knows the difference between an engaged LeBron and disengaged LeBron and, to this point in his 22nd NBA season, he’s clearly seeing the former.
As Windhorst noted, such efforts will likely only go so far, especially over the course of an 82-game regular season. But for now, it’s been so far, so good, with the Lakers laying claim to a 1-0 record and a moment that clearly meant a lot to their superstar player.
[First Take]
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.