No, Larry Bird Did Not Criticize LeBron James After Lakers Drafted Bronny

Shandel Richardson | Jul 2, 2024

June 24, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, USA; NBA former player Larry Bird poses with his lifetime achievement award at the 2019 NBA Awards show at Barker Hanger. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Internet is valuable tool for quickly finding information about your favorite athletes or sporting teams.

It's also a wasteland of misinformation.

Nothing displayed it more than the "coverage" of the Bronny James situation. There were multiple links posted recently that claimed NBA legends Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson were critical of LeBron James after the Los Angeles Lakers drafted his son last week. I won't share them because there is no need to give them any more attention.

The fake articles drew hatred toward James when several former players were OK with the Lakers giving Bronny a chance. He was selected No. 55.

Johnson was among the first to congratulate James. This season marks the first time a father-son duo will play as teammates.

Here's what Johnson wrote on X: "Congratulations to Bronny James on being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers! This is a historic moment because LeBron and Bronny are the first father-son duo to play in the NBA at the same time and on the same team. Watching Bronny suit up for the @Lakers during Summer League in Vegas will be must-see TV!"

Retired NBA player Dwyane Wade, one of James' former teammates, spoke on the issue during an appearance on the Today Show.

Wade said James has put in enough work to deserve a chance.

"I think that a lot of people don't have a chance to see the work that athletes put in," Wade said. "They haven't seen Bronny James get up at 5 in the morning to go live his dream out and put in the work behind the scenes."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

Follow our coverage and updates on Facebook

Twitter: @BackInTheDayNBA