Sports
Letters to Sports: Drafting Bronny won't hurt Lakers as much as LeBron's contract will
Way too much is being written about the Lakers’ decision to draft Bronny James with the 55th pick. But slow down people and let’s keep things in perspective. How many players drafted late in the second round make any significant contributions to their team, at least in the first few years? There were only three players selected after Bronny was picked, and I doubt that any of those three were high on any team’s radar. So if there was a player out there that the Lakers had an interest in, there was a good chance they could be signed after the draft ended. It was a historic pick! Father and son getting the chance to play together. There was little sacrifice made to give LeBron James the gift of seeing his son drafted and to get to fulfill a dream of playing together.
Steve Kaye
Oro Valley, Ariz.
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Can everybody just take a breath?
First, I am not a big LeBron James fan, but I’ve learned to accept the inevitable. LeBron, by virtue of 20 seasons of greatness, has put himself in the position he’s in, and he runs the Lakers. The great Dr. Buss is long gone. So let’s take in a good thing on a human level. Is Bronny a superstar? Of course not. But he is a good kid. Zero bad press or drama, despite growing up in the fish bowl he was put in. Not his choice, but he’s handled it with maturity and composure. Oh yeah, he had heart problems too. Let’s just let this father/son thing play out, because we will never see it again.
Jeff Heister
Chatsworth
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Regarding the overwhelmingly intense scrutiny awaiting Lakers rookie Bronny James, columnist Bill Plaschke claims that “he didn’t ask for any of this.” This mystifying statement begs the question: Who, in fact, decided that the time was now for this relatively unheralded USC freshman to enter the 2024 NBA draft, if not James Jr. himself?
Rob Fleishman
Placentia
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The Dallas Mavericks should sign Mychal Thompson to a one-day contract, then have him and Klay start the opening game of the 2024-25 NBA season so they could be the first father and son to play together in the NBA.
Paul Kawaguchi
Rosemead
Rich get richer, Lakers get poorer
Thank goodness LeBron was able to get another $104 million from his newest contract. Would hate to think that some of that money could have been used for the Lakers to get quality depth to surround him and Anthony Davis. I guess a true title pursuit (taking a Tom Brady-like discount) takes second stage when comparing paychecks with other NBA stars. One would think a billionaire would be open to such an idea. Can’t wait to hear about the Lakers shopping at the discount rack for the rest of the summer.
Matt Kingsbury
Simi Valley
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Unfortunately Bill Plaschke’s “Get ready for another era of team futility” prediction for the Lakers seems quite accurate. The comparison between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in the twilight of their careers and the rosters around them (although glad to see that Dalton Knecht fell to the Lakers) is rather appropriate.
Moreover, the Western Conference should be even tougher next season. While painful to say, it appears the 18-time champion Boston Celtics are much closer to their next championship than the Lakers.
Ken Feldman
Tarzana
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I imagine it will be rough on LeBron James to live on $52 million a year over the next two years. But more importantly, in an era when superstar players in all sports are taking reductions or deferrals in salary to help team management build a better team, James signs a maximum money deal while cutting the Lakers’ ability to do so. I think that says all we need to know about LeBron. Instead of his name on the back of his jersey, he should just print “Me First.”
Jack Nelson
Los Angeles
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We’ve all heard the definition of insanity. … Lakers, let’s stop giving contracts worth $50 million a year and having no team.
Kelly Mark Ritchie
Calabasas
Redick Lakers’ assist leader
Boy, I see a lot of doubt about new Lakers coach JJ Redick, but no congrats to him for negotiating the largest “assistant” coaching contract in sports history. He’s obviously smarter than you think.
Gary Koerner
Covina
Let’s be Frank about Clips’ GM
I understand why there is so much attention to Rob Pelinka, but why has The Times ignored the perpetually bad job Lawrence Frank has done with the Clippers? This team is unlikely to make the play-in for the next five years with a washed-up Kawhi Leonard and a lot of cast-offs. But at least they will have great draft picks … oh no, he traded them all in the Paul George trade. Proof in this delusion is Frank, when asked, said he would do the trade again!
David Bialis
San Diego
The good, the bad …
You gotta love the Dodgers. I enjoyed reading “Dodgers turn rejects into relievers” by Mike DiGiovanna. Banda, Ramirez, Phillips, Brasier, Almonte, Kolarek, Morrow, Petersen and Bruihl all benefited by coming to the Dodgers. This is such a feel-good story that it needs to be turned into a movie, or at least a “30 for 30” episode, especially if the Dodgers end up winning the World Series.
Vaughn Hardenberg
Westwood
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I’d like to remind manager Dave Roberts and the Dodgers that there is something called the “intentional walk.” Losing two straight series to sub-.500 teams while giving up 23 runs in the last three games does not bode well for the boys in blue’s playoff hopes.
Mike Schaller
Temple City
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Yes, the Dodgers have a big payroll and three of the biggest names in the game, but in looking at this team it is hard to see a playoff contender. I realize the pitching staff has been hit with injuries, but there is no excuse for all the walks, especially to leadoff batters, and the big innings allowed after the first two batters are retired. With so many hitters flirting with a .200 average, big offensive innings are hard to come by. I keep waiting for things to change, hopefully not in vain.
Alan Abajian
Alta Loma
Ending this way just for kicks
Soccer plays 11 on 11 for 90 to 120 minutes. If still tied, they play a completely different game of one on one to decide the winner. Can you imagine if other major sports settled ties like soccer? NFL: longest field goal. MLB: home run derby. NBA: a game of H-O-R-S-E. NASCAR: parallel parking.
Dave Eng
Thousand Oaks
The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used.
Email: sports@latimes.com
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The Seattle Seahawks locked down the top seed in the NFC playoffs and a strong path to the Super Bowl on Saturday night with a season finale win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Seattle also finished with their best regular season record in franchise history, clinching 14 wins for the first time ever.
The Seahawks held on to a 10-point victory despite outgaining the 49ers 363 yards to 173, and running 64 plays to San Francisco’s 42.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba #11 of the Seattle Seahawks fails to catch the ball against Ji’Ayir Brown #27 of the San Francisco 49ers during an NFL game on Jan. 3, 2026 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. (Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire)
Seattle missed a field goal in the fourth quarter and turned the ball over on downs in the first quarter to waste two red zone drives, but dominated on defense to prevent those missed opportunities from coming back to haunt them.
The 49ers wasted their best drive of the night as well when quarterback Brock Purdy was intercepted at Seattle’s three-yard line in the fourth quarter facing a 10-point deficit, which seemingly secured the game for the Seahawks.
NFL WEEK 17 SCORES: AFC NORTH, NFC SOUTH UP FOR GRABS AS PLAYOFF PICTURE ALMOST COMPLETE
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, in his first season on the team, completed 20 passes on 26 attempts for 198 yards and helped set up the only touchdown of the entire game in the first quarter.
Darnold redeemed a disappointing Week-18 game for the Minnesota Vikings last season when he completed just 18 of 41 passes for 166 yards in a battle for the top seed against the Detroit Lions.
Darnold said “Learning from mistakes, and staying calm from the pocket,” made the difference in his performance Saturday compared to a year ago, in a postgame interview with ESPN.
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Jaxon Smith-Njigba #11 of the Seattle Seahawks carries the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during the second quarter of a game at Levi’s Stadium on January 03, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy had just 127 yards with the late interception, and took a big hit on his final pass of the night, then took a while to get back up. He was eventually able to walk off the field, and Seattle ran the clock out.
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When it’s Harvey Kitani versus David Rebibo in a high school basketball coaching matchup, you know it’s going to be a defensive grind. They demand defensive production, so Rolling Hills Prep and Harvard-Westlake went at it for 32 minutes on Saturday night at St. Francis.
It took four consecutive free throws by Joe Sterling in the final 21 seconds for Harvard-Westlake (17-2) to hold on for a 50-46 victory. About the only mistake Rolling Hills Prep (13-5) made was choosing to foul Sterling, well known as a clutch free-throw shooter. But the Huskies had no choice after a three by Aaron Heinze got them to within 48-46 with 2.6 seconds left.
Sterling finished with 16 points. Pierce Thompson had 14 points and Dominique Bentho added 11 points and 12 rebounds. Nick Welch Jr. had a big game for Rolling Hills Prep with 21 points on eight-for-14 shooting. Carter Fulton added 10 points.
Santa Margarita 72, Fairfax 41: The Eagles (19-2) opened a 21-2 lead after the first quarter and cruised to victory at St. Francis. Brayden Kyman scored 21 points, Kaiden Bailey had 17 and Drew Anderson had 15.
St. Pius X-St. Matthias 67, JSerra 62: Kayleb Kearse finished with 27 points in the victory. Jaden Bailes had 30 points for JSerra.
Sierra Canyon 77, Phoenix St. Mary’s 45: The Trailblazers (13-1) tuned up for the start of Mission League play with a rout in Arizona. Brandon McCoy scored 18 points and Brannon Martinsen had 17.
Chaminade 70, Palos Verdes 44: Temi Olafisoye had 17 points for the 18-1 Eagles.
Thousand Oaks 53, Oak Park 46: The Lancers won their 16th consecutive game to stay unbeaten. Gabriel Chin had 14 points.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 67, Layton Christian (Utah) 64: NaVorro Bowman led the Knights (13-4) with 24 points. Josiah Nance added 16 points.
Bishop Montgomery 71, Palisades 68: Austin Kirksey had 24 points and Tarron Williams scored 22 points to help Bishop Montgomery improve to 15-2. Freshman Phillip Reed scored 24 points for Palisades.
Crespi 60, Modesto Christian 49: The Celts improved to 13-6.
St. John Bosco 62, Chandler (Ariz.) Basha 54: Christian Collins scored 31 points and Max Ellis had 22 for the Braves in a win in Arizona.
Mayfair 69, Cypress 56: Josiah Johnson’s 27 points helped Mayfair improve to 8-5.
Inglewood 98, Pasadena 97: Jason Crowe Jr. made the game-winning shot in overtime and finished with 51 points for Inglewood.
Girls basketball
Harvard-Westlake 51, Phoenix Desert Vista 39: Freshman Lucia Khamenia finished with 24 points for Harvard-Westlake.
Brentwood 59, Cardinal Newman 53: The Eagles improved to 9-4. Kelsey Sugar scored 24 points.
Saugus 57, Birmingham 52: Kayla Tanijiri had 16 points for Birmingham (13-3).
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Only one more week of the 2025 NFL regular season remains, as Week 17 brought about some more playoff implications and even 2026 NFL Draft key positions.
The biggest takeaway from the slate of Week 17 is that two divisions in the NFL — the AFC North and NFC South — will be determined by whoever wins key matchups in Week 18.
First, it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers getting upset by the Cleveland Browns at home, as Aaron Rodgers couldn’t find Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a controversial game-ending play in the end zone. That loss sets up the AFC North title game between the Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, which is only possibly thanks to a road victory where Derrick Henry scored four touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers.
Then, despite both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers losing their respective matchups, the NFL tiebreakers make their Week 18 bout the NFC South title game.
Aaron Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts during the second quarter of the game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field on Dec. 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
And while everyone was focused on the NFL playoff picture, the two-game 4 o’clock slate gave us the New York Giants against the Las Vegas Raiders, the winner of which owning the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
The Giants would’ve solidified the pick with a loss, but Jaxson Dart and the Giants’ offense blew out Geno Smith and the Raiders to relinquish the pick, which now belongs in Sin City.
NFL WEEK 16 SCORES: PLAYOFF PRESSURE LEADS TO THRILLING FINISHES ACROSS LEAGUE
Here’s how every NFL game played out:
THURSDAY, DEC. 25
– DALLAS COWBOYS 30, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS 23
– MINNESOTA VIKINGS 23, DETROIT LIONS 10
– DENVER BRONCOS 20, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 13
Dak Prescott (4) of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates after his team’s touchdown against the Washington Commanders in the second quarter of a game at Northwest Stadium on Dec. 25, 2025 in Landover, Maryland. (Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
SATURDAY, DEC. 27
– HOUSTON TEXANS 20, LOS ANGELES CHARGERS 16
– BALTIMORE RAVENS 41, GREEN BAY PACKERS 24
SUNDAY, DEC. 28
– CINCINNATI BENGALS 37, ARIZONA CARDINALS 14
– CLEVELAND BROWNS 13, PITTSBURGH STEELERS 7
– NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 34, TENNESSEE TITANS 26
– JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 23, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 17
– MIAMI DOLPHINS 20, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 17
– NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 42, NEW YORK JETS 10
– SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 27, CAROLINA PANTHERS 10
– NEW YORK GIANTS 34, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS 10
– PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 13, BUFFALO BILLS 12
– SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS-CHICAGO BEARS (TBD)
Bundle FOX One and FOX Nation to stream the entire FOX Nation library, plus live FOX News, Sports, and Entertainment at our lowest price of the year. The offer ends on Jan. 4, 2026. (Fox One; Fox Nation)
MONDAY, DEC. 29
– LOS ANGELES RAMS-ATLANTA FALCONS (TBD)
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