The crowd was electric as Bronny James, son of NBA legend LeBron James, subbed into the game. With the Lakers trailing 116-96 against the Cavs and six minutes left in the final quarter, Bronny would be in prime position to make his first career basket. As he dribbled down the court, the anticipation grew. The ball sailed through the air and swished through the net, marking Bronny’s first-ever points in the NBA. It was a proud moment for LeBron, who had always dreamed of playing alongside his son. While it was a career milestone, it raises the question: Is Bronny’s NBA career due to his own talent, or is he just another example of nepotism?
Father-son relationships have often led to some of the most iconic duos across all of sports. For one, Ken Griffey Jr.—son of Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Sr.—played two seasons with his father on the Mariners, where they became the first (and only) father-son duo to appear in the same lineup in the MLB. Their legacy as arguably the most famous father-son duo in sports history is still remembered today, with Jr. becoming one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
As for the NBA, Scotty Pippen Jr.—son of the All-Time-Great and 6-Time NBA Champion Scottie Pippen—has undoubtedly carved out a professional career for himself in basketball. Over the last two seasons, the 6’1 guard has averaged 12.1 points and 5.1 assists in 41 games for the Memphis Grizzlies. Ultimately, his underdog story as an undrafted prospect in the 2022 draft is a testament to what his own efforts and talent—not the legacy of his father—has allowed him to achieve.
However, for LeBron and Bronny, their relationship has raised far more questions. And this is understandable: LeBron is still actively playing in the NBA and on the same team as Bronny, who has struggled in his own right, while Scottie Pippen Sr. has been retired for years. This ongoing dynamic has created unreasonable expectations for the 20 year-old rookie out of USC—who also suffered from life-threatening cardiac arrest just a year prior. So far, the legacy of LeBron has only exacerbated tensions for the newest father-son duo. On one side, LeBron James is undeniably one of the greatest basketball players of all time. His career has spanned over two decades and his influence both on and off the court is truly immeasurable, even to this day. Moreover, as the highest-scoring father-son duo in NBA history—the rookie admittedly only contributing to a whopping 4 of the 40,000—LeBron and Bronny are already part of the record books. However, on the other end, it’s up to Bronny to prove that he’s more than just LeBron’s son.
Taking a look into Bronny’s stats, his performance thus far has not exactly lived up to his potential as the son of a basketball savant. Through his rookie season, Bronny has averaged 0.7 points per game with a shooting percentage of 9.1%. To put this into perspective, out of 494 players in the league, he ranks dead last in shooting efficiency. Bronny’s shooting struggles are evident, especially with his three-point percentage, which is below 5%. Moreover, on the defensive end—the side of his game that scouts raved over when he was coming out of Sierra Canyon—he has similarly failed to make a significant impact. As an undersized 6’2″ guard who’s only played minutes in garbage time up to this point, Bronny has both struggled against the bigger scoring wings of the NBA in isolation and continued to make several defensive lapses in rotations guarding off the ball. Compared to LeBron’s rookie season, where he averaged 20.9 points per game and was crowned the Rookie of the Year, there’s simply no comparison between the two from a basketball standpoint.
Nonetheless, these struggles were all to be expected, and the disappointment that has permeated throughout the NBA fan base is largely unjustified. While at Sierra Canyon, Bronny was a 4-star recruit and even a projected lottery-pick in the 2024 NBA Draft at one point, but he failed to replicate his high school success at the collegiate level. In 25 games for USC, he averaged just 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 36.6% from the field. But Bronny’s collegiate failures were understandable; his sudden cardiac arrest incident caused him to miss months of play. That being said, with his abysmal year at USC still netting him a draft selection by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round, the nepo-baby talk isn’t unfounded. As Bronny now undergoes an assignment to the Laker’s G-League squad—for whom he is bizarrely only playing home games—he’ll have the lofty task of proving his talent amidst all the scrutiny from fans who believe he doesn’t deserve his spot.
Bronny’s rookie season has had its ups and downs, with moments of promise but also plenty of room for improvement. While some enthusiasts argue that nepotism has not played a role in his rise, there’s no denying that LeBron’s influence is and will be a huge factor in his development. For now, Bronny is living out a dream, having played alongside his father in the NBA. Whether or not his career will blossom into something more depends on how he grows in the years to come.