Photo Credit: People Magazine 2023
At the end of next month, it is likely that Lebron “Bronny” James Jr., will hear his name called at the 2024 NBA Draft. Before I go any further I would like to commend him for the fact that less than one year ago he suffered a heart attack at just 18 years of age, and he recovered in time to contribute his Freshmen Year at the University Of Southern California.
Bronny averaged 4 points and 2 rebounds game in 19 minutes, but provided a defensive presence for the Trojans. Now while I will freely admit these numbers often do not warrant an invite to the NBA Draft Combine, ESPECIALLY when prominent players from the Final Four like North Carolina State big man DJ Burns was not. James, was more than likely invited because of his dad, and unless you have been living under a rock you would know his dad is NBA Icon Lebron James.
Yet if you follow this on Social Media, you will often hear people complaining that Bronny is only being given these opportunities because of his lineage. People screaming about nepotism, and accusing Lebron James of playing Daddy Ball. One of the rather comical things I found is parents on posts about Bronny, complaining about the opportunity he has been given while having their social media pages littered with videos of their youth athlete. So even go as far as dropping their kids highlight reels on post about Bronny. It is harder to find a high school athlete that does not have a HUDL page than one that does not.
Youth Sports is infested with teams that run on the Daddy Ball mindset, where every parent thinks their kid is the best ever through the lens subjectivity. Many Parents will manipulate, politic, and jockey for favor with youth coaches to ensure their athlete has every opportunity for success. Parents will pay “specialists”, trainers, and private coaches exorbitant prices in an attempt to help their child earn the coveted scholarship or pro contract.
So I must ask, is it any different than what Lebron James may or may not be doing for Bronny? Is he politicking or using his position and resources in an advantageous manner to provide his son with the best opportunity for success? Do you or would you not do the same for your athlete if provided the same opportunity? If you do or are willing to do, or do this for your athlete, then you should not be complaining about what is happening with Bronny. Much like in Youth Sports the cream will rise to the top, and if Bronny is not good enough he will not last in the NBA. However, I Implore people to look internally instead of attacking the kid and his situation, especially if you are willing to do the same for your athlete on a smaller scale.
I do not know the relationship between Lebron and Bronny. I do not know if he declared because he wanted to or was made too (something that also happens at the youth level). All I know is lest we sound hypocritical we should be careful about complaining about the Lebron, Bronny situation if we are willing to do the same for our children on a smaller scale.
