This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thank you so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate you giving us a bit of your time.
The ultimate decision everyone has been waiting on from Bronny James has finally been made. He’s forgoing his college eligibility and keeping his name in the draft, according to the latest from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowksi.
This was Bronny’s moment of truth, but let’s be honest: it shouldn’t come as a shock. The writing on the wall said this would be the end result all along.
It’d be one thing if Bronny wasn’t capturing NBA eyes after the scouting combine, but he’s already reportedly been invited to workouts with several NBA teams (and spurned a bunch of them).
Not only that, but there seems like a growing chance this dude could be a first-round pick. The Phoenix Suns, with the No. 22 pick in the draft, have shown some interest in him. Obviously, so have his father’s Lakers. Those are the only two teams he’s reportedly willing to workout for, which is an unprecedented thing to say about a second-round pick. But I guess that’s how it goes when you’re LeBron James’ son.
That’s the thing about all of this. There is absolutely no denying that a majority of what is happening around Bronny right now is because of his attachment to his dad. Not even because LeBron says he wants to play with him (which they’ve both backed away from in recent weeks), but simply because they’ve got the same name. There’s a pedigree there that NBA teams seem to be interested in.
On one hand, I get it. He’s living his dream. On the other, the questions about whether he’s ready to take that next step are still valid. I can’t imagine there being this much of a frenzy for any other 6-foot-1 guard specializing in playing without the ball and only averaging 4.8 points per game in college. It’s unprecedented. And maybe it’s too son.
But, ultimately, it’s Bronny’s decision and the decision seems to have been made. If this is truly what he wants to do, he should do it. It’s the best thing he could do for himself.
I just truly hope it’s his decision and not one he feels any pressure — either consciously or subconsciously — to make. We’ll all have to trust him on that.
KAT has responded
The Timberwolves just narrowly avoided the Mavericks’ broomsticks in Game 4 with a 105-100 win in Dallas. Their season will continue, and we won’t have an eight-day NBA basketball drought. Huzzah.
You know what the difference was? The stars.
Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns responded in a big way by dropping Game 3 with 54 combined points. Towns, in particular, stepped up (before fouling out) with his first 20-point game of the series. He dropped 25 on the Mavs with 10 of them coming in the fourth quarter.
On the other end, Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic combined to shoot 13-of-39 from the field. That’s the story of the game right there. Minnesota’s stars were special and Dallas’ weren’t.
On to Game 5.
Tic-Tac-Goal for the win
Over in the NHL we’re getting one heck of an Eastern Conference Finals. The Panthers managed to tie the series again after an overtime thriller with Sam Reinhart playing the hero.
The power of the power play was on full display in this one. All three of the Panthers’ goals came when Florida had the advantage on the ice.
The final one from Reinhart was textbook. Nearly every stick touched the puck before Reinheart chipped it in for the win.
INJECT THIS INTO OUR VEINS pic.twitter.com/BbNsdKUbad
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) May 29, 2024
New York fans out there today who are irritated by all the power plays and Florida’s dependence on it here. I get it — you never want officiating to impact a game in this way.
But you play the hand you’re dealt. Florida did that perfectly and came out with a win here.
Again, on to Game 5 back. This time it’s back at MSG.
Quick hits: Way too early WNBA MVP candidates … Meet Devin Carter … and more
— Here’s Meg Hall with her ranking of way-too-early WNBA MVP candidates
— Prospect Park is here with Bryan Kalbrosky! He’s interviewing Providence’s Devin Carter as he prepares for the NBA draft.
— Here’s new video of Scottie Scheffler’s conversation with police after his arrest at the PGA Championship.
— Charles Curtis has more on records impacted by the Negro League’s stats being included in the greater MLB’s history now. This is awesome.
— Aari McDonald was so locked in on Caitlin Clark she forgot to shoot a free throw. Cory Woodroof has more.
— Here’s Christian D’Andrea on the Bengals trying to hold it together for one more Super Bowl run.
-Sykes ✌️