Luka Dončić wasted no time in extending his deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. The two sides agreed to a three-year, $165 million contract extension on Aug. 2, the first day he was eligible to sign a new deal.
While most of his teammates were present for his press conference and a trip to Las Vegas to attend a Backstreet Boys later in the day, LeBron James and Bronny James were among those noticeably absent. Dan Patrick believes that the four-time MVP deserves a pass for not showing up, however, he took aim at the second-year guard's decision to not join his teammates.
"The one person who I thought should've been there was his son," Dan Patrick stated Monday. "Bronny James, if he wants to stay longer after LeBron leaves, that's your teammate. That's what was surprising. Bronny James should've been there. You're the last guy on the roster, you should be there. Show support."
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"It just felt like, 'Hey, my dad's LeBron, we got a vacation'," Patrick continued. "I mean, that's where you say, 'Dad, that's my team, that's my teammate'. And if LeBron doesn't want to be there -- it just feels like there's a game going on."
Despite speculation that James could leave Los Angeles, Patrick speculated that he has no plans to join a new team. While the NBA's all-time leading scorer has certainly earned the right to enjoy his summer vacation, it is not difficult to agree with the assessment that his son should be looking to build camaraderie with his teammates.
After all, the Lakers are clearly Dončić's team now as James may only have one or two years left in his illustrious career. The younger James should be looking for any opportunity to step out of his father's footsteps and build his own relationship with the remainder of the roster -- particularly the Lakers' newest franchise star.
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