(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers drafted Bronny James in the second round of the NBA Draft.
That was far from a surprise, but the way things went down made it a controversial move.
Rich Paul and LeBron James seemingly forced this to happen, and what could’ve been a heartwarming story if it had happened organically wound up stirring the pot on social media.
People talk about how Bronny didn’t make it to the league on his own merit, as his numbers in college were far from impressive and he was never considered to be an NBA-caliber prospect.
Nonetheless, even though this seems to be a prime example of nepotism, former NBA star Charles Oakley just doesn’t see the problem.
Talking to Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson, Oakley claimed that it takes defense to win NBA championships, and Bronny can make an impact on that end of the floor.
Bronny James has gotten a lot of flack for being drafted by the Lakers, the team his dad @KingJames is the star of.@CharlesOakley34 tells Scoop B Radio that he likes @BronnyJamesJr’s upside!
“When you start talking about being a champion and being a competitor in this league,… https://t.co/6awWUUrNhc pic.twitter.com/jPv5PEbVzh
— Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) July 6, 2024
He also believes his upside is great just because of the fact that he’s LeBron James’ son, as his work ethic and basketball IQ should be top notch.
Of course, no one denies that the upside is there because of the privileged gene pool, and with this one being a weak draft class, a team could’ve definitely afforded to risk a second-round pick on LeBron James’ son.
The issue has never been about whether he deserved to be drafted or not, which, objectively, seems that he didn’t deserve it — at least not now.
People were actually rooting for him, especially after his cardiac arrest, but the whole thing just seems kind of forced now.
The post Charles Oakley Speaks Out About Bronny James’ Criticism appeared first on The Cold Wire.