LeBron James has been a superstar in the NBA since getting drafted in 2003, and now his son has a chance to play with him in Los Angeles. The Lakers drafted Bronny James with the 55th overall pick in this year’s NBA draft and signed him to a four-year, $7.9 million contract.
Bronny is following in his father’s footsteps, but many have wondered if he should’ve earned that chance.
Bret Boone, MLB’s first third-generation player, and host of the Audacy Sports Podcast “The Bret Boone Podcast” gave his thoughts on the Lebron James and Bronny James situation this week.
“I think LeBron James is doing the biggest disservice you can do to a son,” Boone said. “I think to put that on your son – especially when you’re potentially the GOAT, you’re definitely in the conversation of the greatest of all time. That’s enough hanging over your head as a kid coming up. Man, try walking in those shoes.
“I had tough shoes to walk in, my dad and grandpa to follow, but that’s nothing like walking in the greatest of all time’s. Try walking in Babe Ruth’s son's shoes. You couldn’t imagine that. And then to be thrust into this position where he was a freshman last year and he averaged four points coming off the bench for USC, which is far from a powerhouse in basketball.”
Ray Boone made his MLB debut in 1948, his son Bob debuted in 1972, and Bob’s son Bret made his major-league debut in 1992. All three had successful careers in the major leagues. The Boones are one of baseball’s premiere families.
Boone doesn’t think the James are doing it the right way.
“I don’t want to get personal with him, it’s just the situation. Sports is sports. You can’t have daddy’s influence to get you into a position because the talent at the highest level will run you over,” he continued. “It’s not like other industries where dad calls in a favor and you get a job. The top level, the NBA, the NFL, NHL, pick any one you want, you can’t fake the top level. The competition will crush you…
“Nobody has said ‘He is ready to go to the NBA.’ Nobody I’ve heard say ‘That’s an NBA prospect.’ And the fact that I saw him doing an interview the other day and he said ‘Hey, it’s the NBA, they don’t just draft people because of who my father is,’ I’m thinking ‘Could you be more self-unaware? Of course that’s the only reason!’ The amount of resentment he’s going to witness, not only from his teammates but by guys on the other team, by just his peers, guys he’s leaving in college. Imagine how they look at him right now. I couldn’t imagine it.”
Bret Boone never got to play with his father in the big leagues, but their paths did cross in 1991. Bret was in minor-league camp with the Mariners and Seattle signed Bob Boone as he tried to come back for one more year at age 42.
They had the opportunity to do so, but Bret turned it down.
“In spring training I got a phone call and they said ‘Bret, I’ll tell you what we want to do, we want to bring you up from minor-league camp, play in the big league game, your dad’s going to catch, we think it’s going to be great,’” Boone recalled. “I hated the idea. I thought it was a circus. I knew that after that big league game – because when you’re in minor-league camp, getting called up to a big league game, that’s a big deal. You earn that. Guys start looking at you like ‘Wow, he got to go to big league camp.’
“If I would’ve taken that invitation, gone to big league camp, I would’ve come back down to A-ball and they’d have been like ‘Oh yeah, big leaguer. You get to go up because of your daddy.’ I couldn’t imagine facing that, and I didn’t want any part of it. And my dad agreed with me.”
While it may have been a cool moment to remember for both Boones, it didn’t feel right for either of them.
“I said ‘It’s a circus. This isn’t a circus. This is what I’m trying to do for a living. One day when I earn the right I will be on that big league field,” he explained. “But I’m not going to go up there to just say I played with my dad when it wasn’t legitimate.’ So I can’t imagine. That was me, the kid, wanting no part of it. And I couldn’t imagine being the kid wanting every part of it. I don’t understand it.”
And Boone doesn’t regret it.
“Absolutely not. It wasn’t legitimate. It wasn’t real. That would’ve been a movie,” he said. “When I watch Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. in the big league outfield and they have that clip, they went back-to-back, they have that clip of Jr. catching the ball in front of Ken Sr. That’s unbelievable. That’s legit.”
Boone went on to play 14 years in the big leagues with the Mariners, Reds, Braves, Padres, and Twins.