Adrian Wojnarowski hits back at ‘nepotism’ buzz after Lakers draft Bronny James

Before the nepotism chatter surrounding Bronny James reaches a fever pitch, Adrian Wojnarowski is urging the masses to be mindful of the league’s realities.

Shortly after the Lakers selected the former USC product in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft on Thursday at No. 55 overall — officially pairing him with dad LeBron James — the ESPN insider dismissed the nepotism allegations, stating how the league “is full” of it.

“I don’t want to hear these charges, people talking about nepotism. The NBA is full of nepotism,” Wojnarowski said . “The ownership level, front offices, coaching. I don’t want to hear it all of a sudden because Bronny James’ father plays for the Lakers. It is rampant in this league.”

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Long before this week’s draft began, there had been mounting buzz around the possibility of Bronny, 19, landing with the Lakers and playing alongside his dad — the NBA’s all-time scoring leader — as the first father-son pairing in NBA history.

Prior to the Lakers submitting their second-round pick Thursday, ESPN’s Bob Myers reported that Rich Paul, the agent for LeBron and Bronny, warned teams to back off from drafting the teen.

“Rich Paul is calling teams [and saying], ‘Don’t take Bronny James,’” Myers said during the network’s draft programming. “He’s telling them, ‘Do not take him. If you take him, he’s going to Australia.’ So, he has a plan and he has a place.”

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During his lone season with the Trojans, Bronny averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists and 25 appearances.

He made his debut for USC in December following a harrowing cardiac arrest incident last summer.

Bronny, a 6-foot-2 guard, had an impressive showing at the NBA Draft Combine this spring, placing second among the participants in the 3-point star shooting drill.

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“I just want to … have people know my name is Bronny James and not be identified as just LeBron James’ son,” Bronny said at the combine. “I would be happy about getting to the league instead of me thinking about playing with my dad. But that’s not my mindset at all. I’m just trying to put in the work and see where it takes me.”

Bronny fought back tears Thursday after watching the Lakers draft him.

He learned the news at an intimate dinner in New York with family, where LeBron — who has until Saturday to opt into the final year of his Lakers contract — became “very emotional,” according to ESPN .

It’s been a big week for the Lakers, who introduced rookie head coach JJ Redick on Monday before adding former Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht with the No. 17 pick in the first round of the NBA draft.

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