The Los Angeles Lakers may have welcomed Bronny James, but not everyone is happy about it. The franchise drafted LeBron James‘ 19-year-old son, who was the 55th pick in the 2024 draft. And there have been allegations of nepotism in the league since then. Amidst this, Lakers legend Magic Johnson extended a congratulatory message to Bronny. But this did not seem to go down well with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo.

While Russo stated his love for Magic Johnson for all his great achievements, he still came down heavily on the 5x champion for his message to Bronny. “I’m surprised at Magic… You don’t have to congratulate him. He’s bad enough it’s on a team. You gotta congratulate him because he’s the 55th pick of the LA Lakers? Oh my God, that got me mad,” the Mad Dog said on ESPN’s First Take. He claimed the sole reason the former USC star got drafted to the league was LeBron James.

Russo alleged that Bron very wisely kept his free agency option open just in case the Lakers went the other way. Notably, with just a single season at USC, Bronny did not have much to show for except for his subpar 4.8 points per game with the Trojans. Now Russo displayed his understanding that there are other instances of nepotism as well, like “Danny Hurley’s got his kid on the bench at UConn.” But the Mad Dog believes there is no need to celebrate it.

As for Magic Johnson’s congratulatory message, he wrote on X that this was a historic moment because LeBron and Bronny are the first father-son duo to play in the league at the same time and on the same team. “Watching Bronny suit up for the @Lakers during Summer League in Vegas will be must-see TV!” he added. Meanwhile, Kendrick Perkins and Herm Edwards on ‘First Take’ stated Johnson should be kept out of all this controversy.

As for Bronny’s deal, the Lakers reportedly signed him to a 4-year, $7.9 million contract. This also includes a team option for the fourth season. He is expected to be part of the South Bay Lakers of the G-League for his rookie year. Now there are many who have criticized this move, Bronny offered an explanation for his rough run at USC.

“Wasn’t given that much of an opportunity at USC”: Bronny James intends to grow at the big league

As stated above, the ex-USC star averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in his one season for the Trojans. But one cannot ignore the fact James had a heart procedure which resulted in a 5-month layoff for him. In his introductory press conference with the Lakers, Bronny stated the layoff affected his development.

The 19-year-old further mentioned he missed the opportunity to reveal his true potential at USC. He believes this Lakers deal to be a new opportunity to showcase his true capability. “I’m excited for what is to come,” he added. Notably, Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest in July last year during his initial time with the Trojans.

While he later got clearance to play, the performance did not come out as expected. Even though the health condition is an understandable reason for this, another option could have been to play another season of college basketball. This would have given the Trojans star an opportunity to discover and display his potential. But it seems the temptation to play alongside his father in the big league was just too big.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.