Renowned sports journalist Adrian Wojnarowski has spoken out about the criticism Bronny James is facing after being selected with the 55th pick by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Adrian Wojnarowski has spoken out about the criticism Bronny James is facing after being selected with the 55th overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers . Fans have been mocking Bronny for not being worthy of a draft pick just because he is LeBron James’ son, but the American journalist has made it clear that the hate against Bronny is unfair.
“I don’t want to hear this criticism, people talking about nepotism. The NBA is full of nepotism, from the ownership level, the front office, the coaching level. I don’t want to hear that just because Bronny James’ dad played for the Lakers. That’s common in this league.”
Being the son of an NBA player means you have a much better chance of being drafted than if you went to a prestigious school like Kentucky or Duke, so we know the power of connections in the NBA. Even the greatest shooter of all time, Stephen Curry, is a prime example of this, as his father, Dell Curry, played in the NBA in the 1980s.
The Lakers selected Bronny James with the 55th overall pick, a late pick in a draft that many would consider insignificant most seasons. The name of the pick is the son of the greatest player of the last 20 years, so that naturally attracted interest. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka had high praise for Bronny after making him a part of the purple and gold team.
“Bronny is first of all a strong character and secondly he works incredibly hard. Those are the qualities we look for when selecting players. He has had an excellent training session with us.”
Pelinka was excited about Bronny’s basketball opportunity at the Lakers, noting that he has worked hard for everything he has achieved and praising his professionalism.
“Once we got to know each other, it was clear that he was a person of character and work ethic, I think we all saw that. He’s not someone who takes shortcuts or has a natural right to basketball opportunities. He’s worked hard for everything he’s achieved, including being selected today. So it’s an honor for us to have him on the team.”
Last season, Bronny James averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 36 percent from the field for the University of Southern California.
