On Tuesday night, the NBA’s big talking point resolved itself: LeBron James was playing on the same court as his son, Bronny.

‘Play’ is a term of art here. James pere was playing. James files took up some space.

Bronny has put up the kind of stats for the Los Angeles Lakers that he has been putting up all preseason: three minutes, two shots, no points and no assists. If it hadn’t been for one soft rebound, it’s fair to say you might as well have done well.

The problem with Bronny James isn’t that he’s not good enough for the NBA – which he isn’t.

Every league has guys who aren’t good enough to be there, but are. Maybe because the coach likes them, or because they signed a forever contract that is way past its expiration date. The trick is to be receptive.

By all accounts, Bronny James is such a likable person. Sure, he’s a shrimp compared to his dad, and wasn’t good enough to start for his college team, going into cardiac arrest a little over a year ago.

But what then? For some guys to be really good, someone has to be a little bad. Why not him?

Bronny could be out there with an eye patch and on crutches and it wouldn’t be much different than watching former Raptor Oliver Miller play full-court defense.

No, the problem with Bronny isn’t the skill. It’s shamelessness.

Until now, sports people still pretended that professional sports were a meritocracy. After Bronny, only a very naive person or NBA employee could continue to believe that.

Sports have never been meritocratic. It has always been meritocratic.

The ideal works at the highest level. Jackie Robinson didn’t break the modern color barrier because times were changing. He did this because his talent was undeniable.

When you have something special, nothing else about you matters. Short, stocky, slack jawed, loud mouth? All surmountable as long as you can really hit the curveball.

Sports are the only workplace where the lie we tell children – “You can be whatever you want to be” – is true. Everywhere else you can be whatever the manager allows you to be.

But if sport is completely fair at the top, it becomes less and less so as you approach the bottom.

Wayne Gretzky’s son was drafted by the Chicago Cubs. His minor league baseball career did not go far. Now he is an actor/producer. Something tells me that this career development might not have been as smooth if his last name was Smith.

This avoidance passes without comment because sometimes it works. Mike Piazza was taken 1,390th in the 1988 baseball draft because Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda owed his father a solid debt. Piazza went on to make the Hall of Fame.

This is not about ethics, which professional sports have very little about. It’s proportion. Where nepotism or cronyism exists, it occurs on a small scale. All real rewards depend on performance. Whatever deal is made is done quietly.

Then LeBron James comes along and whistles about his own scam. James has been talking about how he wants to play with his son for years. (Translation: I’ll only go to a team that promises to make that happen.)

The Lakers were happy to trade the increase in jersey sales and one NBA title for a small roster. The rest of the NBA cleared a path for Bronny to still be available with the 55th pick.

Why didn’t another team draft Bronny, forcing his father to make a tough decision, or forcing the Lakers to give up a player who was of great value to him? Because that’s not how solutions work.

If the goal was to keep this even the tiniest bit down, Bronny would have been sent straight to the G League. Think of all the nonsense that could have been written about a hardworking young man trying to do it the right way.

But no. After agreeing to a deal, the Jameses didn’t want to wait for the payout. In their position I would probably expect the same.

One child getting a huge head start is no problem. It’s all the other people who will have their legs in the air.

If LeBron James can get his semi-talented son into the best basketball league in the world, what could Lionel Messi do? If Messi wants his brother on his Major League Soccer team, people in that league will wonder what a great idea that is.

What if he wants his own kid on the team? And that child is still in high school? Or does he want two children?

Stars are always looking for new ways to flex. Teams are asked to organize all kinds of extracurricular activities to prove their love.

What if the new flex gets some halfwit you went to high school with into the New York Yankees starting lineup?

Money still means very little to sports franchises. But their dignity? That’s something they won’t sell cheaply. That’s something they would only surrender to the truly exceptional player.

Would the Yankees sign a son or nephew for Gerrit Cole or Aaron Judge? Absolutely not. They are both under contract. But for impending free agent Juan Soto? Maybe.

Until now, few athletes would even think of trying it. No star would go so far as to look ridiculous. Why ask for something you know you can’t have?

LeBron and Bronny James just proved that you can have it. And not just have it. But be celebrated for having the courage to ask for it. James’ father and son have set the new bar for athletic superstars.

From now on, you’ll never know how great you were until you asked for something that no team wants to give you, and got it anyway.