LeBron James has been accused of nepotism following the Los Angeles Lakers’ selection of his son Bronny in the 2024 NBA Draft. The younger James himself has also been in the spotlight but not necessarily in a good way, with fans criticizing his every move since the Summer League.
NBA legend and former Laker Shaquille O’Neal guested on the Tuesday episode of “The OGs Show” hosted by former Miami Heat players Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller. In the episode, Shaq spoke well of Bronny and talked about the hardships of his budding professional career.
“The Lakers thing. Little Bronny is my nephew, happy for him. I wish him well, I know his work ethic. It’s a lot of storylines, good and bad, behind that. I just hope everything goes off,” said O’Neal.
The four-time NBA champion is also aware of the pressure Bronny faces, especially that he’ll inevitably be compared to his still-active father. His son Shareef, who also faced the similar situation, was a promising talent until his heart issues in 2018 prevented him from truly taking off.
“The only thing for kids like that is they have a lot of pressure because of their last name. They don’t even get the opportunity to do what they want. They’re always going to be compared to us,” Shaq added.
“My wish for Bronny is to be happy. I hate the storylines. I hate the nepotism talk and all. 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.”
O’Neal also congratulated LeBron James for getting the opportunity to play with his son while he’s still active in the NBA.
“Kudos to Bron for setting up that wild dream, ‘I wanna play with my son,’ and making it happen,” Shaq said. “That’s big right there.”
LeBron James and Shaq’s sons ball together
Aside from being sons of their fathers LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal, respectively, Bronny James and Shareef O’Neal share similar experiences. Both second-generation players faced major health issues, with Bronny suffering cardiac arrest while practicing at USC, while Shareef underwent surgery for his own heart issues.
Between the two, however, only Bronny realized his NBA dream, but the two remain friends despite that. In his guest appearance on “The OGs Show,” Shaq shared with hosts Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller that he treats LeBron James’s son like a nephew.
“’Cause his (LeBron’s) son and my son are best friends, I’m not going to jeopardize their relationship just by saying some [expletive]. ‘I’m not saying no [expletive] anyway because Bron and his family have always been good to me. He’s (Bronny) like a nephew to me,” said O’Neal.
Shaq and LeBron’s families formed a deep bond after they teamed up together in Cleveland during the 2009-10 season. The bond remains strong with the second generation, as seen in LeBron James’s Instagram story that featured his sons Bronny and Bryce hooping with Shaq’s sons Shareef and Shaqir late at night on the Jameses’ home court.
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