Bronny James captured the 55th slot in the 2024 NBA Draft, chosen by the Lakers following a single season at his alma mater USC where he saw the court 25 times and started six games. He clocked an average of 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists throughout his solo campaign with the Trojans.
Being the offspring of basketball superstar LeBron James a four-time NBA MVP and champion himself the 19 year olds draft to the Lakers sets the stage for an unprecedented possibility in league history: a father and son playing together on the same squad.
ESPN's vocal analyst Wojnarowski addressed any thoughts linking the Lakers' decision to the familial links of the USC prodigy. With the backdrop of the view that the league has long been influenced by nepotism, Wojnarowski's stance apparently resonated with Smith as they shared screen time on ESPN.
Wojnarowski declared: "I don't want to hear the charges, people talking about nepotism. The NBA is full of nepotism. The ownership level, front offices, coaching. I don't want to hear about it all of a sudden because Bronny James' father plays for the Lakers. It is rampant in this league.".
Wojnarowski declared: "I don't want to hear the charges, people talking about nepotism. The NBA is full of nepotism. The ownership level, front offices, coaching. I don't want to hear about it all of a sudden because Bronny James' father plays for the Lakers. It is rampant in this league."
The prospect, who plays as a point guard, was cleared to play by the NBA only last month after undergoing surgery previously - having been found to have a congenital heart defect. After learning that he will be joining his father in Los Angles, he took to Instagram, where he posted: "Beyond blessed."
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Discussing the prospect of the father-son pairing potentially playing together in the future, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said: "In the history of the NBA, there's never been a father and a son that have shared an NBA basketball court and that feels like something that could be magical."
"We know, and have to respect of course, that LeBron has a decision on his opt-out ... but if it worked out that he was on our team next season, NBA history could be made," he said as he recognized the opportunity for a unique situation to play out next term. "NBA history should be made in a Lakers uniform."
Assessing the teenager's credentials and potential to develop, Pelinka added: "Bronny is, first and foremost, a person of high character. And second, he is a young man that works incredibly hard. Those are the qualities we look for in drafting players and adding to our developmental corps at the Lakers."
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