Tag: Lakers

NBA star CJ McCollum is rooting for Bronny James to the Lakers

CJ McCollum is a Bronny James fan.

The NBA draft is here, and the talk of the town will be a projected late second-round pick named Bronny James. His name and the potential to influence LeBron James’ decision in free agency have fans biting their nails, waiting to see which team will make the leap and take a chance on the former USC Trojan. With the Los Angeles Lakers as heavy favorites to draft Bronny, NBA players CJ McCollum, Austin Rivers and Chiney Ogwumike joined ESPN’s Malika Andrews on NBA Today to discuss Bronny James’ future heading into the 2024 NBA draft.

Notable in McCollum’s desire to see Bronny James go to the Lakers is that another USC basketball player, Isaiah Collier, is projected to go to McCollum’s New Orleans Pelicans in College Sports Wire’s final mock version of the NBA draft. Bronny is getting the national media attention, but don’t lose sight of Collier’s place in the USC basketball story.

So where does Bronny go? Find out on in the draft, which begins on June 26 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

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JJ Redick hired by Lakers, likely to be Bronny James’ next coach

J.J. Redick is now the favorite to be Bronny James’ next head coach. We’ll see what happens at the NBA draft.

The Los Angeles Lakers have hired J.J. Redick as their new head coach. This makes Redick the likely new coach for USC’s Bronny James in the NBA, with the 2024 NBA draft looming next week.

LeBron Wire has more on this major development in the NBA:

“The Lakers’ search for a new head coach has dragged along for the last several weeks since they were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs, but through it all, JJ Redick has been the favorite to win the job.

“They formally interviewed him over the weekend, and given Redick’s responsibilities as a member of ESPN’s NBA broadcast crew, most expected an announcement about his hiring to not come until after the end of the playoffs.”

That is how it played out. The Lakers are the favorite to bring aboard Bronny James, most likely with the No. 55 pick of the NBA draft. The Phoenix Suns are the only other team which has worked out Bronny, and a few other teams — the Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors, and Dallas Mavericks — have been linked to Bronny. The Lakers, though, remain the most logical and probable landing spot.

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One team could pick Bronny James in NBA draft if Lakers do not

If the Lakers don’t pick Bronny at No. 55, another team could then pounce.

The NBA draft is almost here. It is just a week and a half away. USC guard Bronny James is waiting to see, first of all, if he will be drafted. Then he will want to know where he is going at the start of his professional career. If we are being honest, it is likely that Bronny will play in the G League for a good portion of next season. However, being with LeBron James on the Lakers would be a unique experience for Bronny. If he does go to the Lakers, he will certainly accompany his dad on at least a few flights to NBA games and warm up on court in an NBA team uniform, which would be really cool. Is it a done deal that Bronny is going to the Lakers, or will another team intervene?

LeBron Wire picked up a report in which NBA writer Marc Stein said the following:

“The Mavericks would have interest in selecting Bronny James with the 58th overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, league sources say,” Stein reported. But the Mavericks also realize it’s extremely unlikely that James will still be available for selection. All current indications suggest that LeBron James’ 19-year-old son will be selected earlier in the second round before Dallas makes the last pick in the draft.”

The Lakers have the No. 55 pick in the NBA draft and are expected to use it on Bronny. If the Lakers do pass on Bronny, no team picking after No. 55 could be blamed for ruining the Lakers’ plans.

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Could the Lakers draft Isaiah Collier and Bronny James?

Could the Lakers take USC players at No. 17 and No. 55 in the 2024 NBA draft?

What a remarkable story this would be, USC fans. Imagine the Los Angeles Lakers taking Isaiah Collier with the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA draft, and then taking Bronny James with the No. 55 pick. What are the odds that the Lakers could get two USC players in the same draft?

USA TODAY Sports thinks the Collier piece of the puzzle might fall into place. Collier is projected as the Lakers’ pick at No. 17 in a recent mock NBA draft.

If you were to ask which USC player is more likely to go to the Lakers, Bronny James is the right answer. It’s really hard to get past the simple reality that with LeBron James on the Lakers, Bronny joining his dad makes sense as a likely read of the politics and the incentives facing the Lakers. Why not give LeBron this special experience in his life and career, enabling him to play with his son and be on plane flights with Bronny over the course of a season. Bronny would be able to learn how to play from his father without having instant expectations thrust upon him. He would spend some time with the Lakers but would then go to the G League to get some reps. He could be gently eased into his NBA career.

The Lakers could either pick Bronny at No. 55 or sign him to a two-way contract as an undrafted player. All of that makes sense.

Isaiah Collier going to the Lakers at 17 would be the less likely scenario, but if it comes true, we could be looking at a Collier-Bronny Laker reunion. That would be wild.

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Dan Hurley will not coach Bronny James with the Lakers

If the Lakers do draft Bronny James, Dan Hurley won’t be there to coach him.

Dan Hurley won’t be with the Los Angeles Lakers if the NBA franchise selects Bronny James in the 2024 NBA draft or signs Bronny after the draft. Hurley turned down the Lakers to remain at UConn and pursue a third straight national championship.

LeBron Wire has more on this story:

“The Los Angeles Lakers had their eyes set on bringing Dan Hurley up from the collegiate ranks to Hollywood to replace the recently fired Darvin Ham. They had been negotiating with Hurley over the weekend to try and get him to LA, but it appears those negotiations were not enough.

“The Lakers had offered Hurley a huge contract of 6-years and $70 million, but Hurley will turn it down to remain the coach at UConn. He has led the Huskies to back-to-back national titles and will be looking to 3-peat in the 2024-25 season. He has a record of 141-58 in four seasons at UConn.”

Will J.J. Redick become the next coach of the Lakers, and therefore the man who will likely coach Bronny James in the NBA? Or, will another candidate emerge as the Lakers pivot and reconsider their options? Stay tuned.

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Would Dan Hurley or J.J. Redick be better for Bronny James?

The Lakers really seem to be thinking through the ramifications of their eventual coaching choice.

This might seem obvious to some, but the world of the NBA can offer all sorts of unexpected plot twists. Many basketball insiders might immediately say that Dan Hurley will be better than J.J. Redick for the development of USC’s Bronny James with the Los Angeles Lakers, but there is no guarantee that specific coaches will fit or get along with specific players. It could also be that Hurley and Redick have different views of Bronny himself, and that the Lakers might be thinking through their coaching choice based on that point plus various other roster and personnel-related considerations.

LeBron Wire writes about the latest in the Lakers’ coaching search:

“Just when it looked like JJ Redick was in the driver’s seat to become the Los Angeles Lakers’ next head coach, things took an abrupt turn on Thursday morning.

“That is when word got out that the Lakers were aggressively courting University of Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley. The two sides were reportedly scheduled to meet in person on Friday in order to talk about how a partnership could work and even talk about the framework of a contract. Still, as of Friday afternoon, nothing has been set in stone, as least as far as anyone outside of the Lakers organization knows.”

Nothing about this situation is settled, and it points to a clear deliberation process within the Laker organization, such that they aren’t currently sure how their new head coach will relate to and affect their current and future players. The Hurley-Redick debate is easy to opine on, but the reality of what each coach means for Bronny James, LeBron James, and other current or future Lakers is hard to know. It’s just not as simple as it might seem.

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ESPN’s Jay Bilas discusses Dan Hurley, Lakers, and Bronny James

Jay Bilas explores the possibility of Dan Hurley going to the Lakers.

ESPN’s Jay Bilas tells Rich Eisen why UConn’s Dan Hurley would be a great fit for the Los Angeles Lakers. Bilas also discusses how LeBron James (and possibly Bronny James) would mesh with Hurley’s style of coaching, the odds Hurley will ditch UConn for L.A., and who he has winning the NBA Finals.

LeBron Wire discussed the politics of the Lakers’ coaching search behind the scenes:

After weeks of seemingly being headed toward hiring JJ Redick to be their next head coach, the Los Angeles Lakers are now making a serious push to bring in University of Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley to fill that position.

On the surface, it would seem to be the type of hire that everyone in the Lakers organization would be on board with. However, the most important man in the organization who has to approve of Hurley is, of course, LeBron James.

We are all waiting to see if the Lakers can close the sale with Hurley, or if the UConn coach backs out and stays with the two-time defending national champions of college basketball. All the while, LeBron and Bronny James wait in the background, knowing this could affect what happens to them in the 2024-2025 basketball season.

Here’s Bilas on the Rich Eisen Show:

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Lakers’ pursuit of Dan Hurley seems to show LeBron James likes it

Is LeBron James equally fine with J.J. Redick and Dan Hurley, or does he prefer one over the other?

If the Los Angeles Lakers are making a run at Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley, one would think that LeBron James is on board with the decision to go after the two-time national champion head coach. This could have obvious implications for Bronny James on the eve of the NBA draft.

LeBron Wire has noted that LeBron James recently praised Hurley, amid speculation that LeBron might actually prefer candidate J.J. Redick for the Lakers’ head coaching job:

“It is unclear exactly how much pull James and Klutch Sports have with the Lakers right now. Plenty feel the team’s interest in Redick has James’ fingerprints all over it, but Rich Paul and a couple of reporters have denied that James has had anything to do with its coaching search.

“Recently Hurley went on Redick’s podcast “The Old Man and the Three” and gave an in-depth look at the offense he runs with the Huskies. The coach said some of his sets have been inspired by what he has seen in football, especially from Kyle Shanahan, the offensive wizard who is the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

“James responded to that video with a glowing comment about Hurley in a post on X.”

Is LeBron equally fine with Redick or Hurley, or is there a real difference in strength of preference between the two? Does this reflect a difference in the front office’s approach to the draft and free agency? How different are Redick and Hurley in terms of the players they might prefer to both release and bring in to reconfigure the Lakers’ roster? All these questions remain unanswered.

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Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.

How Dan Hurley could influence Lakers’ Bronny James choice

What would hiring Dan Hurley mean for Bronny James and the Lakers?

Lots of basketball fans are interested in learning more about the hot new topic in the NBA: how hiring Dan Hurley could affect the Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA draft plans, specifically with their No. 55 pick. That selection could be used to draft former USC Trojans guard Bronny James.

At ESPN, NBA Today’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Brian Windhorst, and Kendrick Perkins and weigh in on the potential of Connecticut’s Dan Hurley being the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron Wire has more on this story:

“Hurley has a 292-163 collegiate coaching record at Wagner, Rhode Island, and UConn. He won a title with the Huskies in both 2023 and 2024 and will now look to take that type of success to the Lakers. He will have a lot of talent at his disposal led by LeBron James assuming he returns in free agency.”

Underlying all of this is an assumption that the Lakers wouldn’t be considering Hurley if LeBron James wasn’t on board with it. We will see if the Lakers can finalize a deal with Hurley. Then all eyes would turn to LeBron and Bronny James.

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Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.

LOOK: Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner with minority owner Magic Johnson

Commanders LB Bobby Wagner spends some time with Magic Johnson.

Not many professional sports teams have an owner like Magic Johnson. A minority partner for the Washington Commanders, Johnson also owns a stake of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Sparks and the Los Angeles FC.

Being a part of an NFL ownership team, though, was always the goal for successful businessman and Pro Basketball Hall of Famer.

While fans and athletes revere Johnson for his successful basketball career, others respect him for his post-career success in the business world. Shortly after the Josh Harris Ownership Group took over, Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin asked Johnson for his mentorship as a community leader and businessman.

This offseason, McLaurin and Johnson spent time together in Los Angeles.

On Friday, another Washington star had lunch with Johnson: Linebacker Bobby Wagner.

Wagner is already a future Pro Football Hall of Famer, known for his outstanding leadership on and off the field. He’s also a Southern California native and L.A. Lakers fan, so his admiration for Johnson runs deep.