Adrian Wojnarowski and Stephen A. Smith addressed nepotism in the NBA after the Los Angeles Lakers selected 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-son duo. .
In response to accusations of nepotism towards the James family, Wojnarowski stressed that the problem has always existed around the association long before Bronny’s selection.
“I don’t want to hear accusations of nepotism,” Wojnarowski said. “The NBA is full of nepotism. At the level of owners, managers, coaches.”
Smith, meanwhile, nodded and repeated “full of emotion” as Wojnarowski made his comments.
Adrian Wojnarowski and Stephen A. Smith addressed the existence of nepotism in the NBA
“I don’t want to hear about it all of a sudden because Bronny James’ dad plays for the Lakers,” the NBA expert continued. “It’s very prevalent in this league.”
Bronny entered the draft after just one season with 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 only collegiate campaign, Bronny averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists as his team finished with a 15-18 record, ranking ninth in the Pac-12.
LeBron, meanwhile, just concluded his 20th NBA season.
The Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft
LeBron and Bronny James will be 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 on 54 percent shooting from the field.
The Lakers fell to the Denver Nuggets, 4-1, in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
In May, a source told DailyMail.com that the Lakers were the favorites to select 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 head coach. The NBA point guard turned media personality has no prior NBA coaching experience, but he signed a four-year contract worth $8 million per season.