Ever since Bronny James got drafted by the Lakers, the basketball community has been divided in their stance about the teen. Finishing an underwhelming freshman season at USC, averaging only 4.8 points, many believe that the 19-year-old only got his opportunity because of his father LeBron’s influence, even accusing the duo of nepotism! Meanwhile, his dad’s peers and surprisingly the mainstream media have been pretty supportive, barring this one personality.

Amid this divide, veteran media personality Jason Whitlock called out every person who has been in favor of Bronny’s draft and slammed them for their double standards. During an episode of his YouTube podcast, Whitlock played clips of Draymond Green, Stephen A. Smith, Stephen Jackson, and more defending Bronny and applauding LeBron for using his power to get his way.

One common theme in all these clips is that nepotism has been prevalent in the sports world long before the LeBron-Bronny situation, be it in ownership, management, or even coaching. But why are people raising eyebrows now that LeBron is benefiting from it?

Rubbishing these claims, Whitlock reminded the world that there is a difference between nepotism and inheritance. Even in the case of the Lakers, Jeanie Buss became the owner of the franchise after her father, Jerry Buss passed away, which is fair considering it was his money that was invested in the purchase.

However, LeBron should not have that kind of influence on the Lakers’ decisions because he is an employee in the organization, Whitlock believes, “He doesn’t own the Lakers. He doesn’t own the NBA. This is classing nepotism. Someone giving an opportunity they don’t deserve and denying someone else that opportunity. The hypocrisy is so thick here, it’s embarrassing.” Then, Whitlock expressed his disappointment in all the people defending the move, even calling them “groupies” for King James.

The analyst went to the extent of saying, “Just like LeBron set the standard for super teams. He’s now setting the example and the standard for what you do if you’re a super-talented player and have leverage over the team- put your buddies on the team.” Whitlock made an analogy that if LeBron was to give his son a job at Klutch Sports, nobody would’ve had a problem because they own it. The question that would now come to one’s mind would be, can all these accusations of nepotism be reversed or proved wrong?

Lakers’ plan for Bronny James could calm down nepotism talks

While the NBA community continues to debate the issue, the Lakers have seemingly already set up their plan for Bronny’s rookie season. They’ve made sure he does not get any preferential treatment because he is LeBron’s son. To prove their point along with the intention of developing the 19-year-old, they will reportedly play Bronny in their G League team, the South Bay Lakers, for the majority of the season.

That means he is unlikely to be a part of the main roster rotation, at least for the 1st year of his professional career. Being a late 2nd-round pick, the Lakers will treat him as ‘one for the future’ and will see how his game evolves over the season. “For us, prioritizing player development, we view Bronny as case study one,” JJ Redick said about the rookie.

However, he is expected to make his main roster debut in the first week of the NBA season. That game will be a historic one, as LeBron and his Bronny will be the 1st father-son duo to share an NBA court. But once that is done, reports claim that Bronny will shift to the original plan.

With him signing a 4-year $7.9 million rookie deal and LeBron James agreeing to a two-year $104 million extension on the same day, they will be teammates at least for the next two years, guaranteed. But it’s good to see that Jeanie Buss and Co. do not plan on rushing things with the rookie for business, marketing, or any other purposes. Hopefully, this fair treatment toward Bronny will calm down the nepotism accusations and also help him organically grow and come into his own.

Before you go, do not forget to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato has to say about the alleged Shaq and Kobe Lakers beef. Keep checking this space for more such updates.