Bronny James on Wednesday met the media for the first time as an NBA draft pick — but the media has known all about him for a long time. LeBron James‘ oldest son was heavily linked with his dad’s team, the Los Angeles Lakers, throughout the pre-draft process — and no one was surprised when the Lakers selected the former USC Trojans guard with the 55th pick in the 2024 draft.
For many, Bronny‘s modest college statistics overshadowed his fight back from a heart procedure last summer. Fans and analysts alike firmly believe that nepotism played a vital role in Bronny ending up with his dad in Los Angeles — and the debate continues to rage after father and son reached agreement on contracts with the Lakers.
Bronny represents “the worst decision in professional sports”
Rob Parker of FOX Sports had some harsh criticism for the Lakers in light of their decision to draft — and sign — Bronny. Parker called it the worst move in the history of professional sports, and that was the tip of his iceberg.
“I’m dead serious when I say that,” Parker said on FOX Sports Radio. “It changes what the essence of the game has always been, which is about competition. This is what we always talked about, and the reason why you have an NFL where you have essentially 99% of the owners are white, and yet the league is 70% Black.”
Parker went on to slam the Lakers for picking a player that he argues did not “deserve” to be picked based on his play. Implying that it is LeBron who runs the organization instead of owner Jeanie Buss, Parker blasted the choice as reeking of nepotism and said it would harm LeBron’s legacy.
“He’s opened up a Pandora’s Box now, and I don’t know how you tell people not to do what he just did,” Parker said. “This was like, ‘No, he’s coming to the Lakers. Get out of the way. Don’t draft him.’ This is all about LeBron making this happen. The whole process feels bad and doesn’t feel good.”
It all adds up to Bronny needing to overcome more odds to stand out in the NBA — and as proof that incoming head coach J.J. Redick, without prior coaching experience, can run a successful player development program in one of the league’s most rabid markets. Whether LeBron’s son stands on his own two feet or fails to make an impact in LA remains to be seen.
