Is Nepotism Ever A Good Thing? The Case of Bronny James

“The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle The Master’s House” Audre Lorde

The above quote has been going through my mind over the last week, since the announcement that Lebron James Jr aka Bronny James was selected with the 55th pick in the NBA draft.

While, I make no bones about calling myself a Lebron James stan and have rooted for him during his stints on the Cavs, Heats, and now Lakers. This situation has left a sour taste in my mouth, that no matter how much I try, I can’t shake.

Since the draft, much of the debate has been centered on the nepotism at play with how Lebron James has wielded his power and influence to ensure his son was drafted by none other than the LA Lakers.

Prominent sports shows and media figures have been going back and forth either defending the decision to draft Bronny or stating how wrong it is, for the sport’s most powerful athlete to use his power and leverage to ensure his son was drafted by an NBA team.

It can’t be forgotten that Lebron has been extremely vocal over the last few years in stating that he desired to play on the same team as his son before he retires.

With the upcoming season being Lebron’s 22nd year in the league, he has decided to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Lakers and explore free agency. This could have been viewed as a signal to the Lakers to not only ensure they signed some talent around him but also a signal to the league, that he would play wherever his son was drafted, to fulfill his wish.

It’s this last point, where the bitter taste enters my mouth.

On the surface, it may appear that any NBA team that chose to draft Bronny would also conceivably have the opportunity to sign Lebron. However, it was reported before the draft, that Bronny’s agent, Rich Paul (Adele’s husband if you aren’t familiar) has called teams around the league and stated NOT to draft him as they were only interested in playing for the Lakers or Phoenix Suns.

I could defend Bronny’s decision to enter the draft after his lone season at USC, even with an unremarkable stat line of 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. It can’t be forgotten that he did suffer a cardiac arrest in which he could have died before the season began and that some players are just more suited to the professional game than the college ranks.

However, the fact that his agent made it clear that there were only 2 teams in the league he was willing to play for and that if he was drafted by any other team, he would go to Australia, highlights the absurdity of the whole process.

While I believe Bronny would have been happy to have been drafted by any team in the NBA, it’s clear that there was no way in hell, Lebron was going to leave it up to chance and potentially have to play somewhere like… Utah for instance (no disrespect to Utah but c’mon man).

For those defending the process and arguing that there is nothing wrong with Lebron using his power and leverage to his son’s advantage and that, to quote Jay Williams who appeared on ESPN’s ‘First Take’, “Don’t we need more instances of Black Nepotism”.

My answer is “What” ???

I thought the goal in society was to create a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive world rather than Black people being able to benefit from the same unfair advantages that some white people have benefitted from, for centuries.

Let’s be real for a moment, I want to live in a meritocracy and am also a believer in affirmative action policies that seek to address the imbalance and structural inequalities that have existed and continue to exist within society.

This will not be achieved by some (keyword) Black people being able to exploit others and having access to unfair advantages.

Just like the idea that trickle-down economics will somehow benefit the least fortunate in society .

Lebron being able to get his son drafted despite limited evidence to suggest he is an NBA player, will not benefit Black people as a whole.

Let’s also not ignore the fact that if we go back over the draft for the last 10 years, 70% of players drafted at number 55 were Black players, so the overwhelming likelihood is that by drafting Bronny at this position, an opportunity was removed from a more ‘deserving’ prospect (to my knowledge, no other player who was eligible to be drafted, has a Billionaire father, but I may be wrong).

For those who argue that these things happen and that nepotism is simply a part of life and rampant in all areas of society, you’re not wrong. The sports journalist Bomani Jones provided a searing indictment of the extent of nepotism in the NFL and how it’s effectively one big family reunion.

Maybe I’m just being naive and this is just a classic example of your ‘network being your net worth” but ultimately this sour taste in my mouth leaves me with the strong belief that to answer Jay Williams’s questions, “No, we don’t need more instances of Nepotism, Period”.

What are your thoughts?