Citing his own experience, Cody Rhodes empathizes with Bronny James' Lakers draft: "Nepo guys across the board, I am all about them"

WWE superstar Cody Rhodes shared his two pennies on Bronny James making it to the NBA. LeBron James' older son has received plenty of criticism from fans for being drafted into the league despite his poor numbers in his lone season at USC.

After the LA Lakers took Bronny at 55 in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, it didn't take long for criticism to arrive. Plenty of fans are unhappy with the decision and have called Bronny a nepo baby given the way his selection was handled.

Rhodes sat down with Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor to discuss a variety of topics, including Bronny James' draft selection. The reigning WWE Undisputed champion showed his support to James, admitting that he's been in the position the Lakers rookie is right now:

"It's a dream come true for a father and son scenario and I feel like his son has to know, part of the trust in LeBron is the reason for this.

"Your skills, be what they be, but part of just our trust and respect and for his work ethic, for how he is as an ambassador, for what he does when the cameras are off, all these things, I think they're looking to him, to see, would you be able to have a little bit of that?"

Rhodes added:

"And I think the trick is, you're not trying to fill in the shoes of LeBron there. You gotta fill your own shows, but you will be able to stand next to him and see where it goes. Again, nepo guys across the board. Football, baseball, I am all about them. Because I’ve been there. At least in my world, I've been there where they only see someone else."

Cody Rhodes is the son of wrestling legend Dusty Rhodes, also known as 'The American Dream.' He followed his father's footsteps and became a professional wrestler, although when he first made it to WWE, he didn't have the best opportunities.

Following his 'dashing' gimmick and a run with his older brother, Dustin Rhodes (aka Goldust), Rhodes left the company and joined AEW, where he became a huge star before returning to WWE. He's now one of the biggest stars in the company after several years of trying to prove himself.

When it comes to Bronny James, people know he's his own man, but seeing how his draft selection was handled, it's easy to see why fans think he's getting a pass to play in the NBA.

Bronny James gets honest about his goals with the Lakers in the Summer League

Bronny James was already introduced as a Lakers player alongside Dalton Knecht (selected at 17 in the first round). The young guard is now set to make a splash and learn as much as he can while he shares the court with his father.

Speaking about his expectations for the upcoming NBA Summer League, Bronny was pretty clear about what he hopes to achieve, sending a clear message to the doubters.

"Just showcasing what I've been putting in the work for this whole summer," James said. "It's a lot that I've been doing, getting up early mornings. But, yeah, just going out and being aggressive, being myself, and showcasing what I was doing before my incident, and proving myself to the doubters."

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JJ Redick and Rob Pelinka were ecstatic to have Bronny James on the team and now it's up to him to become the best player he can be and prove himself against the best basketball players in the world.