One former NBA player somehow managed to speak the Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason into existence.
The Lakers finally pulled off their long-expected move this week, selecting Bronny James, the eldest son of LeBron James, in the second round of the NBA Draft. LeBron and Bronny are now getting the opportunity to become the first-ever father-son duo to play together in the NBA (and do so on the same team to boot).
In the wake of the Bronny pick, an old prediction by ex-NBA guard Rashad McCants resurfaced. Back around late April, McCants made the prediction that the Lakers would not only draft Bronny but also hire JJ Redick as their next head coach (and ended up being right on both counts). You can see the video of McCants’ remarks here.
Calling Bronny to the Lakers wasn’t at all impressive because it had been rumored for years that LeBron wanted to play on the same team as his son. But what was impressive was McCants calling it in tandem with the Redick hire. Redick, though he previously interviewed for the head coach job of the Charlotte Hornets, was not linked to the Lakers for the first time until May. At the time of McCants’ prediction, Darvin Ham was still the head coach of the Lakers, and the only remote link was that Redick had recently launched a podcast with LeBron. The Redick rumors also went cold for a while as the Lakers (unsuccessfully) went after UConn head coach Dan Hurley. Redick then finally got the job on June 20.
For the 39-year-old McCants, a former lottery pick who played in the NBA from 2005-09, he was more famous for his dating life than for his basketball career. Now after retirement, McCants may be gaining some new fame as an NBA oracle.
