Bronny James’ journey to the NBA has been unfairly criticized

In the past, there have been numerous father-son duos to play the same sport at the highest level, but there have not been many instances where they have played together. The most famous example is Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. teaming up on the Cincinnati Reds. We now have a new father-son duo in the NBA, this time being LeBron and Bronny James.

Over the last few years, one of the biggest stories in all of sports has been Lebron James’ son, Bronny, potentially playing in the NBA at the same time as LeBron. For many years Bronny was hyped up as an elite draft prospect, but once he committed to USC, scouts became a little more realistic with his expectations. Whether it was for his mediocre performance in his lone season of college basketball, or his health concerns following a cardiac arrest, Bronnys draft stock plummeted. After all the hype throughout the years, the Lakers selected Bronny James in the second round of the NBA Draft.

Many fans and media members have been criticizing Bronnys journey to the NBA, and believe the only reason he was drafted was because of his dad. While there has been much debate surrounding this topic, the truth is that Bronny likely wouldn’t have been considered by NBA teams if it weren’t for him being the son of LeBron James. Where the critics are wrong, however, is blaming Bronny for this. The whole concept of nepotism appears in sports all the time, but for whatever reason there are more critics of Bronny. For example, two of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s brothers are in the NBA strictly because they are related to the two-time MVP. There will be advantages to being related to LeBron James, and people have to deal with it. 

Although there is nothing wrong with Bronny having this advantage, the way that LeBron pulled Bronny to be drafted by the Lakers is a little more debatable. Reports came out that Bronny’s agent, Rich Paul, told teams to not draft Bronny or he would go play in Australia instead. This of course, ultimately led to Bronny being available at pick 55 for the Lakers to select him.  It seems a little unnecessary for Bronny to force his way to play with his dad, especially given that Bronny has said he wants out of LeBron’s shadow.

Now that Bronny James has finally been drafted, the spotlight will be huge on him. He may not have much playing time, but it won’t take the attention away from him. If he plays well, he will be given a lot of media coverage, but if he plays poorly he will be given even more.