Tag: son

How much could LeBron James impact son Bronny’s NBA draft stock? Probably more than you think

Bella

LeBron James Sr. was the top-ranked NBA prospect in his class from practically the moment he could pick up a basketball. He was a prodigy identified as a future superstar years before he was eligible to become a professional and about as close to a sure thing as young athletes ever get. LeBron James Jr., on the other hand, is something a bit more conventional.

Midway through his junior season at Los Angeles powerhouse Sierra Canyon, 247Sports ranks James as the 34th-best player in his high school class. His standing as a prospect has slipped since he reached the high school level, as 247 ranked him No. 19 in the class of 2023 as recently as September 2020. Now? He’s not even the highest-ranked son of a former Cleveland Cavalier in that class, as the 2023 crop is headlined by DJ Wagner, son of LeBron’s former teammate DaJuan Wagner. A four-star ranking is nothing to sneeze at for most prospects. It’s fairly low for a prospect literally named “LeBron James.” 

Were a prospect of that caliber not named “LeBron James,” he would probably be expected to spend multiple years in college developing his skill set and preparing to transition from collegiate star to professional role player. That might not be a luxury Bronny has, though, because his more famous father is already tying the end of his own career to the beginning of his son’s.

“My last year will be played with my son,” James Sr. told The Athletic Saturday. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son

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Michael Johnson, son of Ernie Johnson, dies at 33

Bella

Rival TV networks showed their respect and affection Saturday night for Turner Sports broadcaster Ernie Johnson.

ESPN and Fox aired primetime tributes to Johnson’s son Michael, who died Friday at the age of 33 after a lifelong struggle with muscular dystrophy. ESPN’s Chris Fowler spoke over a video montage during the network’s broadcast of the Penn State-Ohio State football game. Fox Sports’ Kevin Burkhardt did likewise during the pregame show for Game 4 of the World Series.

MORE: Ernie Johnson’s emotional TV segment before ‘The Match 2’ gets strong reaction from viewers

“Our family is so grateful for your kindness and compassion,” Johnson wrote in a quote tweet of the Fox video.

Ernie Johnson used the word “miraculous” to describe his son’s life when he wrote on Instagram that Michael had died. Many MD sufferers don’t live past their teens.

In August, Ernie Johnson told his son’s story to the Alabama football team. Video of it went viral on social media. He held up Michael — who was born in Romania and adopted by Johnson and his wife, Cheryl, as a toddler in 1991 — as a reminder that “there’s value in everybody.”

In one of the most emotional parts of his speech, Ernie Johnson recounted how Michael inspired his Georgia high school, Mill Creek, through basketball and his trademark phrase, “Love you, too.”

The boys team’s coach, Phil Bollier, wanted Michael to be a part of the program he was building from scratch after speaking with him in a special needs class. Bollier explained why to Ernie and Cheryl.

“So (Bollier) could teach his team two things: maximum effort — for Michael to move any muscle in his body takes everything he’s got — and he said, ‘I wanted to teach my team having a heart for

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