A small percentage of high school and college players make the National Basketball Association (NBA), and their chances of making it are slimmer based on the league and available opportunities.
With the NBA having many high-skill players, nepotism is an issue that many viewers of the sport and participants feel is a problem.
Nepotism is practiced among those with power or influence to favor relatives, friends, or associates, especially by giving them jobs.
Some feel that famous players like Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo have used their power and status within the NBA to get their relatives into the league. Many are upset over Damion Lee, Stephen Curry’s brother-in-law, who made the NBA, and Giannis’ brothers Thanasis and Kostas, who made the league.
According to a study done by the NCAA in 2022-2023, the chances of competing from high school to the NCAA are 3.6%. These slim odds become even smaller for only a small percentage of the NCAA players who are playing professionally.
Other news sources, such as AP News, have covered one of the biggest Nepotism debates: Bronny James and his introduction to the NBA. He plays on the same team as his father, LeBron James, and his performance within the league has been looked down upon compared to the higher-scoring games he has had in the NBA’s G-League.
NBA championship winner Giannis Antetokounmpo has his brothers, Thanasis and Kostas, both in the NBA, which has caused many to believe that nepotism was involved in getting them to this level of basketball.
Some of the players with these questionable statistics include:
Bronny James: average of 20.6 points and a 43.1% from the floor in the G-League, compared to a 1.6-point average and a 25% from the field in the 2024-2025 NBA season.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo: averaging 0.9 points with a 53.33% field goal percentage in the 2023-2024 NBA season.
Damion Lee: averaging 3.4 points with a 34% field goal percentage, 2024-2025 season.
Many feel that these percentages prove that these NBA players are only in the league because of their family relations. The controversy between these allegations has caused back-and-forth tension between LeBron James and NBA commentator Stephen A. Smith.
Other NBA players, Dwayne Wade and Draymond Green have spoken out about the situation and the battle the NBA has undergone with nepotism.
The players and viewers have mixed emotions about the nepotism that may be taking place. Some viewers love players like Bronny James and do not care whether nepotism took place to get some of these players into the NBA.
However, other NBA players, such as LaMelo Ball, Lonzo Ball, Stephen Curry and Seth Curry, are brothers who have much higher point averages and field goal percentages and don’t deal with the nepotism controversy.
The Curry brothers: Seth averages 5.8 points with a 46% field goal percentage. Despite these stats, media coverage of him isn’t as focused on nepotism, with him and his brother Stephen, who averages 24.3 points and has a 44.4 field goal percentage.
The Ball brothers: LaMelo averages 25.4 points with a 50.2 field goal percentage. Lonzo averages 7.6 points and a 36.6% field goal percentage, recently coming off several seasons of surgery and injuries.
Many viewers debate whether it is nepotism or whether these players have worked their way to the league.
What do you think? Is there too much nepotism in the NBA, or have these players earned their spots?
