Boston Celtics reporter Jay King from The Athletic strongly criticized Adrian Wojnarowski’s defense of the Los Angeles Lakers’ decision to use their No. 55 pick to draft Bronny James, LeBron James’ son. King mocked Wojnarowski’s justification, calling it blatant nepotism, especially since Bronny had a lackluster one-and-done season at USC.
King’s zinger during the draft’s second round broadcast was, “‘Don’t talk to me about nepotism,’ after LeBron James’ team selects his son who averaged only 4.8 points per game during his single college season.”
Bronny’s draft selection was mired in controversy, with allegations that Rich Paul had warned teams not to draft him, threatening that Bronny might play in Australia instead—an intimidation tactic made more prominent given the involved personalities and franchises.
Tim Legler suggested that the Boston Celtics could have trolled the Lakers by picking Bronny James at No. 54, just before L.A.’s turn, but they opted for Gonzaga’s Anton Watson instead. Watson, a six-foot-eight forward, averaged 14.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in his extended fifth year due to COVID-19.
Legler had humorously proposed on ESPN that the Celtics should draft Bronny, reigniting the Celtics-Lakers rivalry with a taunt, “We have your son. If you want him back, it’s going to take Austin Reeves.”
Ultimately, the Celtics didn’t go for the prank, but they had a solid draft, selecting Watson and Baylor Scheierman at No. 30, with Brad Stevens leveraging more draft capital than ever since he became President of Basketball Operations in 2021.
