Lebron James Jr., also known as Bronny James, was drafted this summer to the Los Angeles Lakers to play alongside his father, Lebron James. They became the first father-son duo in NBA history. But, many critics of Bronny claim that he doesn’t have the talent to have been drafted, and that he was only drafted because of his dad’s influence. As well, Bronny inked a 4 year, 7.9 million dollar guaranteed contract shortly after being drafted, a rare case for a late second-round pick yet to play a game. The 20 year old plays for the Lakers G-League Team when the Lakers are on the road, but gets to sit on the Lakers bench for their home games. Does Bronny deserve these luxuries as a 55th overall pick?
Nepotism, defined by Merriam Webster as “favoritism based on kinship,” is present all throughout different facets of work and regular life. Sometimes nepotism is not necessarily a bad thing and it can lead to major success. For example, a family member who owns a business might hire their kin because they’ve seen a hard-working and reliable manner from them first-hand. In Bronny’s case, Lebron is simply vouching for the kid’s work ethic and under-developed talent. He was an All-American in high school before suffering a cardiac arrest at USC, which appears to have stunted his growth and stats there. But, Bronny’s talent is still there, and over the course of the next four years, he’ll show his development and athleticism with a healthier body.
Bronny is not the only person in the NBA who online haters believe has no right to be in the league. Thanasis Antetokounmpo, brother of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, sat on the bench watching his brother dominate for a number of seasons. NBA fans alike have all shared a laugh at the numerous lowlights of Thanasis looking uncoordinated and sloppy while getting some minutes at the end of blowout games. But in Thanasis’ case, at least he was drafted to a different team than his brother (he went 51st overall to the New York Knicks in 2014); this proves that he is in the NBA for a reason, not just because his brother wanted him. Then, after being waived by the Knicks, Giannis and the Bucks picked him up, and Thanasis began serving a valuable role as being Giannis’ biggest supporter. In reality, Thanasis can hoop even while his shot looks a bit stiff sometimes. He even scored a career high of 27 points against the Cavs in Apr. 2022.
Nepotism is a part of life all around the world, including the NBA. Some may argue that there are more talented candidates who could replace Thanasis, Bronny or other friends of NBA stars who have been promised spots on teams. But the truth is that in both Bronny and Thanasis’ cases, they give their teams an opportunity to win in the future and even help with team morale. With the goal of keeping a positive team energy throughout the entire 82 game season, it’s not a bad thing that these teams use nepotism in an effort to win and keep their star players at ease.
Lebron and Bronny share a wholesome moment after sharing the court for the first time.
Photo: 247 Live Culture