Bronny James DEFENDED on nepotism accusations by Dwyane Wayde after LeBron’s Lakers drafted him: ‘People don’t see him getting up at 5am’

Three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade stood up for Bronny James amid rumors of nepotism following his selection in the draft.

On June 27, the 19-year-old player was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft, pairing him with his father and Lakers star LeBron James.

During an appearance on the TODAY Show, host Craig Melvin asked the Miami Heat legend about claims that other players are “more deserving” of Bronny’s position.

“None of them can beat him at basketball,” Wade replied. “So you can’t listen to that.”

“Like I said, if you’re not with me every day, if you’re not going through the moments where you have to embrace the misery, if you’re not going through the moments where you want to quit because it’s so hard. If you’re not in this with me, I can’t listen to your comments about me.”

Wade, a close friend of LeBron’s, encouraged Bronny to tune out the noise, citing his deal with Beats by Dre.

“So hopefully Bronny has his headphones on, I know he has a headphone deal,” Wade continued. “He’s just fixated on a kid who always had a dream. And that dream was probably to be his dad.

“Not to be exactly like him on the court, but to live that dream that his father wanted to live — to play basketball at the highest level. We all cheer for him and we all block out the comments for him.”

Wade was part of the all-star class of the 2003 NBA Draft, with James being the first overall pick. Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Wade were selected third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

James, Wade and Bosh joined forces in Miami during the 2010-11 NBA season and remained together for years. During the “Big Three” era, Miami appeared in four NBA Finals and won two championships together.

The Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft

Bronny averaged just 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 25 games for the Trojans

Bronny and LeBron James are the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA

Nearly a decade after their trio split, James enters his 22nd NBA season with his firstborn on his team, making them the league’s first father-son duo.

“I think it’s awesome. I think it’s awesome. It’s history. LeBron has been incredible for this game,” Wade said of the performance. “Incredible isn’t even a big enough word.”

And for this to happen [in] his 22nd year,” he continued. “I remember the day Bronny was born. And now that he’s getting the chance to play in the NBA. I think a lot of people don’t get the chance to see the work that athletes put in.”

‘They haven’t seen Bronny James get up at 5 in the morning to make his dream come true yet [and] the work he’s done behind the scenes to get to this point is unbelievable. I think it’s amazing, we’re all going to follow it, we’re all rooting for Bronny and everyone just letting Bronny be himself.”

In his 21st season, LeBron averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists for the Lakers

James, Wade and Chris Bosh were the top 5 picks in the star-studded 2003 NBA Draft class

After joining forces in Miami from 2010 to 2014, they brought two titles back to South Beach

The purple-gold drafted Bronny after his only season at the University of Southern California.

As a freshman, the former Sierra Canyon star played in 25 games and made six starts for the Trojans. Bronny averaged just 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists as his team finished with a 15-18 record, which placed them ninth in the Pac-12.

LeBron averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists last season while making 54 percent of his shots.

With new head coach JJ Redick at the helm, the Lakers will hope to bounce back after their 4-1 loss to the Denver Nuggets in the opening round of the playoffs earlier this year.

“I can’t wait,” Wade said. “I’ll be there.”