Utah Jazz alum and Hall of Famer Spencer Haywood had a unique perspective on Bronny James. LeBron's son faced a lot of criticism because of the perceived notion that he only got into the NBA because of nepotism.
Haywood didn't refute that notion. However, he brought up that Bronny playing LeBron is such a cool opportunity because anyone back in Haywood's days would have done the same thing with the same opportunity had it been there.
“Everybody wanted to play with their son. Everybody wanted to use their power for them and their family and for the growth of their kids. I mean, isn’t it a great thing? I mean, I look at hockey; I look at Gordie Howe and I look at all the people that played with their sons and why is he being branded like, ‘Oh my god, he did a bad, bad thing!’ And the guy can play!”
LeBron James got it right by playing with his son, Bronny James says @SpencerHaywood to Scoop B Radio.
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) May 1, 2025
“EVERYBODY wanted to play with their son. Everybody wanted to use their power for them and their family and for the growth of their kids. I mean, isn’t it a great thing? I… https://t.co/8CNByB2NLJ pic.twitter.com/YH24JDI7tg
The Jazz alum's words are true, hate it or not
Even if Bronny's rookie season was less impressive than Cody Williams' (and that's saying something), this is a rare spectacle to see a father and son play together. While it's been done before in other professional sports, it never happened in the NBA until LeBron and Bronny stepped on the floor together in 2024.
Jazz fans can mock this all they want, but imagine if John Stockton had the chance to play with his son. Had he played long enough to make it happen, and the opportunity was there, would Jazz fans really have a problem with that? Of course not! Having that kind of attachment to a player would make fans welcome him, even if David Stockton wasn't really an NBA player.
Honestly, even if Bronny is only in the NBA because of his dad, that doesn't really do much damage to anyone in the league except the Lakers, so it's their cross to bear. They would be better off with someone else taking Bronny's roster spot (look no further than their most recent playoff elimination), but it's still cool to see the NBA break new ground.
Haywood played on the Jazz back when the team was located in New Orleans. He played there for half a season (1978-79) before he was traded the following offseason to the Los Angeles Lakers for Adrian Dantley in what is considered one of the best trades in Jazz history.
His tenure with the Jazz isn't particularly notable, but he is one of only nine Jazz alumni who are in the Hall.