NBA was ‘full of nepotism’ long before Lakers drafted LeBron James’ son Bronny at 2024 NBA Draft, say Stephen A. Smith and Adrian Wojnarowski
Adrian Wojnarowski and Stephen A. Smith discussed nepotism in the NBA after the Los Angeles Lakers drafted LeBron James’ son Bronny on Thursday.
The Purple and Gold selected Bronny with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft after his lone season at the University of Southern California, making him and LeBron the league’s first father-and-son tandem.
While the accusations of nepotism pointed toward the James family, Wojnarowski emphasized that the issue has always existed around the association, long before Bronny’s selection.
“I don’t want to hear the accusations, people talking about nepotism,” Wojnarowski said. “The NBA is full of nepotism. The ownership, the front offices, the coaching.”
Meanwhile, Smith nodded in agreement and repeated “full of it” as Wojnarowski made his comments.
Adrian Wojnarowski and Stephen A. Smith addressed the existence of nepotism in the NBA
“I suddenly don’t want to hear about it anymore because Bronny James’ dad plays for the Lakers,” the NBA insider continued. “It’s rampant in this league.”
Bronny entered the draft after just one season at USC in the NCAA.
As a freshman, the former Sierra Canyon star played in 25 games and made six starts for the Trojans. In his lone college campaign, Bronny averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists as his team finished with a 15-18 record and ninth in the Pac-12.
LeBron, meanwhile, just completed his 20th season in the NBA.
The Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft
LeBron and Bronny James become the first father and son to play together in the NBA
LeBron averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists for the Lakers last season
Last season, James averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists while hitting 54 percent of his shots.
The Lakers lost 4-1 to the Denver Nuggets in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.
In May, a source told DailyMail.com that the Lakers were the preferred choice to draft LeBron’s junior. The Portland Trailblazers, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors and LA Clippers were also named candidates.
Bronny joins the Lakers a week after JJ Redick was hired as their head coach. The NBA guard turned media personality has no previous coaching experience in the NBA, but signed a four-year contract worth $8 million per season.