NBA was ‘full of nepotism’ long before Lakers drafted Bronny James

Adrian Wojnarowski and Stephen A. Smith addressed 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 first father-and-son tandem in the league.

With the accusations of nepotism pointing toward the James family, Wojnarowski stressed how the issue has always existed around the association long before Bronny’s selection.

‘I don’t want to hear the charges, people talking about nepotism,’ Wojnarowski said. ‘The NBA is full of nepotism. The ownership level, front offices, coaching.’

Meanwhile, Smith nodded in agreement and echoed ‘full of it’ as Wojnarowski made his remarks.

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‘I don’t want to hear about it – all of a sudden – because Bronny James’ father plays for the Lakers,’ the NBA insider continued. ‘It is rampant in this league.’

Bronny entered the draft after only 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 lone college campaign, Bronny averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists as his team finished with a 15-18 record, placing ninth in the Pac-12.

LeBron, meanwhile, just wrapped up his 20th season in the NBA.

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This past season, James averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists while shooting 54 percent from the field.

The Lakers fell to the Denver Nuggets, 4-1, in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.

Back in May, a source told DailyMail.com that the Lakers were favored 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 got hired as their head coach. The NBA guard turned media personality has no prior coaching experience in the NBA but signed to a four-year deal worth $8million per season.