Sometimes we need to see even the most obvious things with our own eyes before we can process them.
Or in this case, see and hear those things.
There has been so much debate about LeBron James manipulating the draft and the Lakers organization to make sure he could play side-by-side with his son Bronny and whether it reeks of nepotism and entitlement.
While I’ve mostly taken LeBron’s side when this conversation has come up the past couple of weeks, it’s one of the rare cases where my opinion wasn’t strong one way or the other. I was certainly open to the assertion that James was completely out of line to put his immense power on the scales in the supposedly equitable draft process.
Then I sat in front of him as he addressed a throng of reporters at UNLV’s Mendenhall Center after Team USA’s first Olympic practice Saturday, fielding questions about what it will mean to put on the same jersey as his son in the NBA.James made an obvious point that most everyone engaged in the discourse is well aware of, but often undervalues: Bronny James nearly died less than a year ago.
It’s a jarring reality that needs to be factored in with all the hot takes on the matter.