Le Bron James stood in the court next to his son Bronny and couldn’t help but look at him to take in the moment. The duo wore matching Los Angeles Lakers jerseys with “James” and “James Jr.” embroidered with large purple letters on their backs.

“It was like the matrix or something,” LeBron said afterward. “It just didn’t feel real.”

The Lakers helped James, 39, realize a longtime dream of playing alongside his son when they drafted Bronny with the 55th overall pick in June, making way for them to become the first father-son pair to play in an NBA game together in a preseason game on Oct. 6.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has described the draft pick as “magical,” while his organization has criticized whether Bronny would have earned the opportunity if his father wasn’t one of the game’s greatest players. These objections – while met with widespread outrage from the James family – reignited conversations about nepotism in sports and how powerful figures leverage their influence, while underscoring the stigma surrounding children following in the footsteps of a successful parent or family member.

“There will always be people who say it’s nepotism,” said Alice Leppert, an associate professor of media and communication studies at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania. “There will be a cynical assumption that strings have been pulled and that in fact things are not fair.”

That’s often based on people’s desire to believe in a meritocracy, Leppert said, referring to the system in which someone gains status or rewards based on his or her abilities, and not on wealth or social status.

“Generally speaking, we don’t live in a meritocracy,” Leppert added. “We want to live in a meritocracy, and that’s why we get these kinds of debates.”

For centuries, children born into wealthy and powerful families have inherited companies, fame and endless resources for success – a striking display of power in Hollywood, politics and sports.

Critics of nepotism argue that those who do not have the same access to resources – i.e. producers and directors in the entertainment industry, scouts and training facilities in sports – are at a significant disadvantage when it comes to opportunities.

Others wonder why a practice that is so entrenched in society is being reported at all.

“I don’t want to hear these accusations, people talking about nepotism,” former ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said during the NBA draft. “The NBA is full of nepotism. The ownership level, front offices, coaching. I don’t want to hear it all at once because Bronny James’ dad plays for the Lakers. It’s prevalent in this league.”

There have been about 100 cases in NBA history of players joining the league after their father played. These young men entered the league after their father’s career ended, but they include Stephen and Dell Curry, Kobe and Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, Bill and Luke Walton.

Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. played with the Seattle Mariners during parts of the 1990 and 1991 MLB seasons. Hockey great Gordie Howe played with sons Marty and Mark for the Houston Eros in the WHA and the New England/Hartford Whalers in the WHA and NHL.

According to an Associated Press, of the 65 schools that compete in major college football, there are at least 25 family members on the same coaching staff. research of coaching schedules in 2022. In the NFL, 16 of the league’s 32 owners inherited their teams from family, according to a USA Today survey.

“I think in this country we have come to terms with the fact that if you own it, you can do whatever you want with it,” said David Grenardo, a law professor and sports law expert at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. “So I am the owner. I can pass it on to my children… And that’s somewhat acceptable, because that person has the right to do whatever he wants with his property.”

That acceptance changes when it comes to athletes, Grenardo said.

“That’s where we feel completely uncomfortable with the idea of ​​someone getting an opportunity that he or she doesn’t deserve,” he said, noting the intrigue of watching the best compete against the best in the sport.

“So when you have a situation where someone who might not be seen as the best is given an opportunity over someone else, and now it’s not a meritocracy, now it’s become political, now it becomes, ‘Well, whose kid is that ?’ Grenardo said.

That’s where nepotistic conversations have arisen around Bronny, whose critics have argued that he was unproven before he was drafted and has earned more attention than virtually any other late second-round pick in NBA history.

After recovery from cardiac arrest over a year agoBronny played one season at Southern California before entering the draft. Lauded for his athleticism, defensive ability and work ethic, he averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds while starting six of 25 games for the Trojans.

“Part of this discourse with LeBron and his son Bronny is that he is a visible African-American athlete,” said C. Keith Harrison, a professor specializing in sports and business management at the University of Central Florida. “And for some reason it is assumed that he will not use the power and privilege that he has as an American, as an American black man, as a successful athlete, entrepreneur or businessman.”

Harrison pointed to numerous examples of sports figures exerting their influence through nepotism: the Buss family’s ownership of the Lakers; the Harbaugh family, which has an extensive football coaching lineage.

“If we have these nicknames, or these approaches and this reality of nepotism, and people hiring people they feel comfortable with … when it comes to (LeBron) and his son Bronny, why is this popping up?” said Harrison.

Grenardo separately came to his own conclusion.

“Some of it may very well just be race,” he said. “That here is a black man who is one of the few black billionaires and he is an American. And he uses his power as others have used theirs, but ‘I don’t like him being so powerful now.’

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