Bronny James is finally going pro and for the first time in NBA history, the fans will see a father-son duo on the court. James will be debuting for the LA Lakers, alongside his father LeBron James. After being picked as the 55th NBA pick on the second night of the draft, the Lakers’ pick has brought on a wave of internet sentiment pointing towards this being an act of nepotism. However, ex-NFL QB, Robert Griffin III doesn’t see it that way.
RG3’s statement was a direct shot at those accusing LeBron and the Lakers of nepotism. As he took to X (Twitter), he didn’t hold back and called people out on their LeBron hate.
As RG3’s comment went viral, many fans went off, speaking for and against the statement RG3 made. On one side, fans fully supported LeBron and the decision that the Lakers had made.
Everything’s a problem when LeBron does it
— (@JTheWSF) June 27, 2024
Im glad he is with his dad
— ATL Rick James (@ATLRickJames) June 27, 2024
It’s good for the game and Bron earned it
— MEL711 (@MEL18451) June 28, 2024
However, there were a lot of fans who weren’t happy seeing Bronny getting drafted into the same franchise as his father. After RG3’s tweet went viral, fans took to his tweet and berated the act of him being drafted.
No, it’s because he’s not good enough
— Bryan Tiller (@BryanTiller23) June 28, 2024
Because It’s a prob. You may not like it. But it’s a problem.
— Bruiser41, GED (@Jugg3rnaut0311) June 28, 2024
The kid clearly isn’t ready. There was plenty of other kids better than him .
— Miguel Madrigal (@Maddogg_85) June 28, 2024
While fans were clearly conflicted about the Lakers’ recent draft decision, Bronny being drafted also sparked conversations among analysts. While on ESPN, they spoke about the allegations of nepotism and Stephen A Smith was one of the loudest voices that spoke in support of Bronny James’ drafting.
LeBron James’ Nepotism Allegations Smashed by Stephen A
Adrian Wojnarowski, Stephen A. Smith, Bob Myers, Dave McMenamin, and Malika Andrews spoke about Bronny being drafted by the Lakers. While this is truly a moment in NBA history, it was marred by the kind of nepotism allegations that came up against the Lakers and LeBron. However, Woj and Stephen A went on to defend Bronny. While Woj spoke about the kind of humility and preparedness Bronny has shown, Stephen A had an explosive reaction.
While speaking about nepotism and the kind of chatter behind Bronny being drafted, he said,
“It is something that has permeated throughout the NBA for quite some time okay and on all levels. And no one has said anything it’s never been an issue that I can remember. I’ve been covering the NBA for a quarter of a century. This man has been around just as long if not longer. So, don’t talk to me about nepotism being something new it’s been here nobody said anything before shut the hell up now.”
Stephen A. made it clear that the existence of something like nepotism isn’t new. And while making a stand for it might be important, he felt that Bronny-LeBron was being scapegoated for no reason. While there have been a lot of people who agree with Stephen A., there have been manu who feel like this pick was solely to keep LeBron happy.
Whatever the case, Bronny has made his way to the league. Only time and his performance in the league will reveal if Bronny truly deserves to be in the league or not.
