LeBron James and his son Bronny James have been a subject of debate in recent years, with the Lakers drafting Bronny with the 55th overall pick in June. The Lakers helped Bronny realize a yearslong dream of playing alongside his son, making them the first father-son pair to play in an NBA game together in a preseason matchup on Oct. 6. The draft pick has reignited conversations about nepotism in sports and how powerful figures leverage their influence, while underscoring the stigma around kids following in the footsteps of a successful parent or family member.
Critics of nepotism argue that those without the same access to resources, such as producers and directors in the entertainment industry, scouts, and training facilities in sports, are left at a significant disadvantage when it comes to opportunities. Former ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said during the NBA draft that the NBA is full of nepotism, from ownership levels to front offices and coaching. There have been about 100 instances in NBA history of players joining the league after their fathers played, including Stephen and Dell Curry, Kobe and Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, Bill and Luke Walton, among others.
In the 65 schools that compete in major college football, there are at least 25 instances of family members on the same coaching staff, according to an Associated Press examination of coaching rosters in 2022. In the NFL, 16 of the league’s 32 owners inherited their teams from family, per a study done by USA Today. David Grenardo, a law professor and sports law expert at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, believes that people are resigned in this country to the fact that if you own it, you can do whatever you want with it. However, that acceptance changes when it comes to athletes, where the idea of someone getting an opportunity that they did not deserve becomes uncomfortable.
Nepotism conversations have sprouted around Bronny, whose critics have argued that he was unproven before being drafted and has earned more attention than almost any other late second-round pick in NBA history. After recovering from cardiac arrest over a year ago, Bronny played one season at Southern California before entering the draft. He has been praised for his athleticism, defining ability, and work ethic but averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds while starting six of 25 games for the Trojans.
C. Keith Harrison, a professor specializing in sports and business management at the University of Central Florida, said that part of this discourse with LeBron and his son Bronny is that he is a visible African American athlete. He pointed to plenty of examples of sports figures exercising their influence through nepotism, such as the Buss family’s ownership of the Lakers and the Harbaugh family, which has an extensive football coaching lineage. Harrison asked why this phenomenon is popping up with LeBron and his son Bronny, and Grenardo concluded that it may be just race.
(AP)
