Oct 5, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) and forward LeBron James (23), wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers cap, watch the action against the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Former Lakers Center Slams LeBron James Over Bronny ‘Nepotism’

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated Oct 7, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers made the decision to draft Bronny James 55th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft out of USC. It was a move that got a lot of scrutiny from people in and around the NBA.

Many pundits were angry with what they perceived as nepotism. The Lakers brought him in to pair with his father, LeBron James. A lot of people believe that LeBron's presence was the only reason he was drafted.

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The Lakers have tried to develop Bronny as a player and are hopeful he can be a good player. One former Lakers player believes that won't happen, and blasted the Lakers for caving into LeBron.

Former Lakers Center Kwame Brown Blasts LeBron James

Former Lakers center Kwame Brown believes that he only reason Bronny is in the NBA is because of nepotism. He said so on his Kwame Brown Bust for Life podcast.

“And for every young man that think that you can just be the president or you can get in the league and you gonna get a fair shake at it, I think LeBron James' situation just proved," Brown said.

Brown believes that the James situation is endemic of what society has come to, not just the NBA.

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"The narrative that they tried to say, 'Oh, it's nepotism.' No, I think this LeBron James situation just proved that politics is in everything. Politics is in everything," Brown said. "Politics is in sports. It's in — It's in everything. It's at your job, my job. It's in everything. It's all about politics.”

The Lakers Are Unconcerned with Outside Opinions on Bronny James

Los Angeles does not care what other people believe about Bronny James' situation. They believe he can still develop into a rotational player in the NBA. He just needs time to develop.

James will likely spend a lot of time playing in the G League this season so he can develop the offensive part of his game. He's still very inefficient with his shot-making from everywhere on the floor.

As a rookie last season, James averaged 2.3 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game. He shot just 31.3 percent from the field and 28.1 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.