Lebron James is undoubtedly one-of-one, and even with pending status of his career hanging in the balance, he will always be remembered for what he gave to the game both on and off the court. 

James has lived a scandal-free career, with the only recent headlines pertaining to his displeasure for the hotel in Memphis. Despite his reputable character and revered leadership, James still finds himself at the forefront of scrutiny that he has no control over. 

Some of the most prominent criticism hurled in James’ direction is that his son Bronny James is only is the NBA because of nepotism. In a recent interview with Time’s Senior Correspondent Sean Gregory, James adamantly boasted that Bronny “has earned his right to be a professional athlete,” while firmly emphasizing that what “you’re not going to do is throw stones at us as a family.”

James understands that Bronny isn’t immune to criticism an an NBA player, rather the harsh assertion about his fatherhood because of his son’s presence in the league is where James draws the line.

While there is a some legitimate grey area in the criticism surrounding Bronny, the media’s assessment of Bronny’s abilities often becomes tied to personal aspects involving his father. 

Bronny more than likely does not get to the NBA as quickly as he did without his father’s presence, However, his potential to reach the league on his own can’t go unnoticed either. 

His health scare prior to his time at USC did limit his playing time with the Trojans, but by the time he got to the South Bay Lakers, he established himself within the starting rotation. 

This past season he was sent down for numerous assignments at South Bay, where he displayed his elite shooting splits and explosive attacks at the rim. Averaging over 15 points in just 14 games, Bronny excelled against near NBA level talent. 

Nepotism is not a new concept in the NBA. You can point to numerous examples in different eras such as Steph and Dell Curry, Tim Hardaway Sr. and Jr. and most recently Ron and Dylan Harper. The only difference is that Bronny and LeBron are the first father-son duo to play both at the same time and together as teammates.

No one questions the other father-son duos because they never had that opportunity. While the sons have all proven themselves worthy of the league, they too would not have received the same level of recognition without their father’s laying the foundation. 

Bronny has not taken that next step to really silence any harsh critics, but he could soon establish his own identity. 

Still under contract for at least one more year, he might find a more expansive role especially with the Lakers fully building around Luka Dončić. With LeBron potentially exploring free agency if he comes back for year 24, Bronny could be in a unique position to take full control of his narrative. 

While Bronny is still at the end of the Lakers’ bench, the opportunity to prove himself awaits, reinforcing what his father believes he’s already capable of.