This year’s most recent draft class was quite a disappointment and could be considered the worst draft class in Y2K. First pick Zaccharie Rischacher (Finished his opener game with 7 points) , second pick Alex Sarr, and third pick Reed Sheppard may be the most little-known top three draft picks of all time. The only well known draft picks of the ‘24 class are Tiktoker Jared McCain and Lebron’s son Bronny James. The draft totaled with Bronny being picked 55/58 to the Lakers at no surprise, but this could be considered as the most nepotistic move in NBA history. 

Bronny James was born right before Lebron James’  season 2 debut. NBA fans have grown up with Bronny, seeing the camera pan to him every so often, foreshadowing future events. It’s been well-known for years that Lebron won’t retire until he plays with his son. But at what cost?

Now that Bronny has been drafted into the NBA and graduated from USC, let’s look back at his college stats. He played 25 games and out of those he started only 6. He averaged 20 minutes a game but could only produce an average of 4.8 PPG (Points per game). This contradicts his position of guard because he should be producing double digits with that amount of minutes. As a guard he should at least pick up the weight at the play-making position, but he doesn’t, underperforming at an average 2.1 assists per game. Not only is his offense atrocious, his defense proves even worse. He averaged only 0.2 BPG (Blocks per game) and only 0.8 SPG (Steals per game). These stats can conclude that based on Bronnys first year of college he was not ready for the NBA and needed more development. However, this would mean he would have most likely not have gotten a better chance to play with his father. So not only is this trade entirely based on nepotism but is also negatively impacting Bronny. So that presents the question, does Bronny really want to join the league right now, or is he being forced to so Lebrons “GOAT” résumé looks more pretty than it already is.

In Bronny’s opener night game that he played with Lebron, he played for 3 minutes and got 1 rebound. When comparing these stats to the next available pick, Kevin McCullar Jr., who averaged 18.2 PPG and 4.2 APG at Texas Tech, it’s clear who should have been drafted first.

So why did Bronny get picked? It’s simply because of Lebron James or LeGM’s influence on the Lakers. With his tenure and influence, he controls the team and how it operates. This is the single reason Bronny got drafted, which is unfair and has created an uproar in the NBA community. The pick is seen as nepotistic and unjust and should have never happened. In my personal opinion I believe that Bronny shouldn’t be on the Lakers and should have never been drafted at all. Lebron James should have never had the power to make these decisions.