LeBron’s camp uses Australia threat to get son drafted by Lakers in fairytale NBA first

LeBron James is a step closer to one of his major dreams being realised after his oldest son Bronny was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, but not before a spectacular threat involving Australia was sent out by his agent. 

James and his son are both managed by Rich Paul, a long-time friend of LeBron, and the James camp was intent on having the father-son duo on the same team.

Prior to James’s name being called out by the Los Angeles Lakers as the team’s selection with the 55th pick in the draft, former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers revealed the James camp’s threat of Australia.

“Right now Rich Paul is calling teams [saying] don’t take Bronny James,” Myers said on ESPN’s coverage of the NBA Draft.

“He is telling them, ‘Do not take him, if you take him, he is going to Australia’.”

The draft move doesn’t guarantee that father and son will actually play in a game together, nor does it even guarantee that Bronny James will be on the Lakers’ roster next season. 

But it certainly raises the possibility that it could happen in what would be an NBA first — a father-son on-court duo in the league simultaneously as players. 

There have been about 100 instances in NBA history of players joining the league after their fathers played, but those always came at least five years after the father’s career ended.

But LeBron James’s incredible longevity — he’ll match Vince Carter for the longest NBA career this coming season, which will be his 22nd in the league — makes the father-son duo possible.

Bronny James played one year of college basketball at USC and averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last season. He played in 25 games, missing the start of the season after needing a procedure last year to fix what was diagnosed as a congenital heart defect, which was found after he went into cardiac arrest during a summer workout.

A panel of doctors cleared Bronny James for NBA play last month.

‘He was cooked’: Johnny Furphy’s painstaking wait finally ends

Melbourne native Johnny Furphy was one of two players invited to the NBA’s green room to go undrafted in the first round on Thursday.

Despite the disappointment, Furphy did not have to wait long to hear his name called on Friday morning as the second round of the draft got underway.

The 19-year-old was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 35th pick in the draft before his draft rights were traded to the Indiana Pacers. 

“It’s like a wedding and a bride didn’t turn up,” Furphy’s father Richard told ABC News Breakfast.

“So, you sort of leave, and you head out … It was pretty tough on Johnny and there was people around to support him. We got back at 1am and he was cooked mentally and physically. 

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“He was just exhausted, just such a build-up, and it’s been such a build-up these last five weeks. So getting to this point, it’s great.”

The other green room invitee to be snubbed in the first round, Duke big man Kyle Filipowski, was taken by the Utah Jazz with the 32nd pick in the draft. 

There were also more wins for the NBL after having Perth Wildcats star Alexandre Sarr and AJ Johnson of the Illawarra Hawks taken in the first round. 

Bobi Klintman, who played with the Cairns Taipans last season, was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 37th pick, before having his draft rights traded to the Detroit Pistons. 

Melbourne United’s Next Star prospect Ariel Hukporti was taken 58th overall by the Dallas Mavericks and had his draft rights traded to the New York Knicks. 

There was also success for NBL players who went undrafted, with Adelaide 36ers forward Trentyn Flowers signing a deal with the LA Clippers.