The Los Angeles Lakers drafted Bronny James in the second round this summer, pairing him with LeBron James to form the first father-son duo in NBA history.
While that is an incredible accomplishment for the James family, it has not come without criticism.
After going through a heart issue last year and barely playing in his lone season at USC, many feel Bronny is not ready for the NBA and wasn’t worthy of being drafted.
One person who is supporting both LeBron and Bronny though is Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal. His son Shareef was in a similar situation after dealing with a heart injury of his own. He played with the Lakers in Summer League a few years ago but has not been able to stay in the NBA since.
Because of their situations though and how close he is to the James family, Shaq can relate to LeBron and is rooting for Bronny, as he explained in an appearance on The OGs podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller:
“Little Bronny is my nephew. Happy for him. I wish him well. I know his work ethic and there’s a lot of storylines good and bad behind that. I just hope everything goes well. I just sat here with Marlon Wayans on my podcast, he said ‘I want my kids to be happy.’ And I want the young fella (Bronny) to be happy. And I kind of know what he’s going through because my son Shareef, he’s still trying. He was a good player, he had the heart attack situation, still trying to get in (the league). So the only thing for kids like that is they have a lot of pressure because they have the last name. They don’t even really get the opportunity to do what they want, they’re always gonna be compared to us. But I tell him all the time, we don’t need another basketball player in the family. I just want you to be happy. So right now, Shareef is with me at Reebok and we’re doing big things, we’re actually talking to a couple of your players, Mike, and that’s what it’s all about. So my wish for Bronny is to be happy. I hate the storylines, I hate the nepotism talk and all that, it doesn’t matter. He’s in, I want him to be happy and I want him to perform and I want him to do well. Because his son and my son are best friends. I’m not gonna jeopardize their relationship just by saying some shit. I wouldn’t say that shit anyways because LeBron and his family have always been good to me. He’s like a nephew to me, so I just wish him well.”
O’Neal can relate to LeBron arguably better than anyone as a former NBA great that just wants the best for his kids.
It’s cool to see Shaq give this type of support to Bronny, especially considering a lot of the other members of the media have been hard on him even though none of this is his fault.
As Shaq state though, Bronny has an exceptional work ethic and will do everything he can to show that he belongs in the NBA.
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss relates to Bronny and LeBron James
Another person who can relate to Bronny and LeBron James is Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, who worked with her dad Dr. Jerry Buss for several years before his passing.