Ken Griffey Jr., an all-time great hitter in Major League Baseball history, offered some words of wisdom to Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James.
And why not? He can relate a bit, having shared the field with his father, Ken Griffey Sr., a three-time All-Star and two-time World Series champ with the Cincinnati Reds.
He gets the pressure, and there aren’t many others out there who have had the same experience. Griffey though, advised Bronny to get past the pressure and accept the fact that he’s never going to be as good as his Dad, LeBron James.
“I did tell Bronny to relax and enjoy it. Be you,” he told “Nightcap” co-hosts Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson. “You’re not going to be him. Nobody’s him.”
That is, in a word, an understatement.
Ken Griffey Jr had some advice for @BronnyJamesJr @ShannonSharpe @ochocinco @ShayShayMedia_ pic.twitter.com/ln48WNMiJE
— Nightcap (@NightcapShow_) November 5, 2024
Ken Griffey Jr. Says Bronny Can Learn A Lot From His Dad
While he might not reach the same level as LeBron, Bronny James will certainly learn a lot about the game by playing alongside him.
“You’re going to learn a lot by being able to sit there and be on the bench watching him,” Griffey said. “When you look at all these quarterbacks who sat behind somebody.”
“Nowadays, this kid, they throw them right into the fire. And I feel sometimes these kids can’t read a cover 2 or cover 3.”
Football analogy aside, Bronny doesn’t really have an option when it comes to observing games from the bench. He’s not NBA material, nor will he be anytime soon.
James has played in 4 games for the Lakers, scoring 4 points on 1-6 shooting.
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Bronny James Is One Half Of The NBA’s Highest Scoring Father-Son Duo
That said, Ken Griffey Jr. is right – Bronny James is getting some good advice from his Dad on the bench. In their first game together, a mic caught LeBron giving his son a little pep talk on the sidelines.
“Y’all ready? You see the intensity, right? Just play carefree, though. Don’t worry about mistakes. Just go out and play hard,” he said.
He’s made one basket on an NBA court since. Truly inspirational stuff.
LeBron: "You ready?"
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 23, 2024
Bronny: "Yup."
This LeBron and Bronny moment mic’d up ❤️🎙️ pic.twitter.com/ffzTOoIdCx
That wisdom has propelled Bronny James to great heights already. He is etched into the NBA record books in his very short professional career.
LeBron has 40,666 career points in the league. Bronny has 4. Together, they make the most prolific scoring father-son duo in league history.
These 40,670 points top Joe “Jellybean” and Kobe Bryant who had 38,895 points combined: Joe (5,252), Kobe (33,643).
If “you’re not going to be him” were a stat, this one would be it.
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