“Treated Bronny like a Make-A-Wish kid”: College hoops coach Doug Gottlieb delivers harsh words for LeBron James and Lakers

Basketball fans witnessed history as LeBron James and his son, Bronny, became the first father-son duo to share the NBA court during the Lakers' season opener on Tuesday. However, Wisconsin-Green Bay coach Doug Gottlieb was not a fan. He claimed that the LA Lakers' approach towards Bronny does not indicate their intentions to win.

Gottlieb further questioned the seriousness of the organization, suggesting that its decision to draft Bronny James was to appease its stars.

“There’s just no world in which this is about winning, or about basketball, or in any way normal or acceptable for a team that wants to win a championship in the second quarter," Gottlieb said on the Doug Gottlieb Show.

"They treated Bronny like he’s a Make-A-Wish kid.”

Bronny James entered the game alongside his father with four minutes remaining in the first half of their opening night game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Crypto.com Arena reverberated with cheers as the father-son due stepped to the sidelines to check in.

Doug Gottlieb argued the significance of the rookie's minutes, claiming that the Lakers could have handled business without his participation.

Nevertheless, Gottlieb commended first-year coach JJ Reddick's decision to deploy Bronny James and still come out with a win in the season opener.

"Kudos to JJ Redick for getting them in, getting it done, and getting them out and it not affecting the ultimate outcome of the game," he said.

Doug Gottlieb is preparing his players to match up with bigger and stronger players

While Doug Gottlieb's basketball knowledge and ability to analyze the game are well recognized, it remains to be seen how Green Bay will perform in his first year.

According to returning guard Preston Ruedinger, who has witnessed Gottlieb in action as he recruits and trains the Phoenix up for success, the coach is focused on making his roster comfortable with physicality.

“Older teams win just because they’re physical,” Ruedinger said (per Spectrum News 1). “I mean, we’re a little young, but I think the physicality and how hard we play is going to make up for a lot of it. I think we’re going to be very successful this year.”

With only five players returning from last season’s team, Gottlieb had to get to work early. Fortunately, his role as an analyst and radio personality made it easier for him to communicate his vision and leverage his connections.

As a result, he has brought in additions to both the frontcourt and backcourt in Isaiah Miranda (Oklahoma State) and freshman Jeremiah Johnson.

Doug Gottlieb’s team is projected to finish eighth in the Horizon League. Green Bay won its preseason exhibition against St. Norbert with a commendable 102-73 score and will begin the season on Nov. 4 against Oklahoma State.