"Already making excuses for him": Fans disagree with NBA insider's 'nepotism' definition amid Bronny James getting drafted to Lakers

Following months of rumors and controversies, Bronny James has finally been drafted by the LA Lakers. At the franchise, the former USC point guard teams up with his father, LeBron James.

This pick by the Lakers is expected to generate a lot of frenzy over the next couple of weeks considering the largely underwhelming freshman season Bronny James had at USC. However, ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski doesn't want fans to tag the pick as nepotism.

“I don’t want to hear these charges—people talking about nepotism,” Wojnarowski said. “The NBA is full of nepotism: the ownership level, front offices, coaching. I don’t want to hear it all of a sudden because Bronny James’ father plays for the Lakers. It is rampant in this league.”

Not many fans agree with Wojnarowski on this view. Many fans believe Bronny James isn't a draftable prospect and only got picked by the Lakers because of his father's influence in the franchise.

Here's a look at some of the reactions online:

Many fans feel it's nepotism:

"Look up nepotism in a dictionary, it’s literally this," a fan wrote.

"If Bron wasn’t his dad he wouldn’t have declared for the draft in the first place lol," another fan wrote.

"Is there a new word for Nepotism. No. Then I’ll call it nepotism. Jordan kids didn’t play in the league," a fan commented.

Some fans however believe Wojnarowski isn't out of place:

"Wow Woj chose to speak FACTS this fine afternoon, a fan wrote."

"In every industry and every corner of the world!!!" another fans wrote.\

"He's right," a fan commented.

Rob Pelinka happy to welcome Bronny James to the Lakers

After drafting him with the 55th pick on Thursday night, the Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is thrilled about Bronny James’ opportunity to play for the Lakers. He emphasized that the former USC point guard has earned everything through his relentless work ethic and dedication

"Bronny is first and foremost a person of high character and second he is a young man who works incredibly hard,” Pelinka said. “Those are the qualities we look for in drafting players. He did a great draft workout with us where he displayed those qualities to me in an hour lunch we shared in the building."

While it is believed that drafting Bronny was aimed at keeping LeBron, Pelinka believes the junior James has what it takes to excel in the NBA. He was largely underwhelming in his sole season with the Trojans in 2023-24 but it seems that the Lakers aren’t looking too deep into this.