Bronny James DEFENDED on nepotism accusations by Dwyane Wayde after LeBron's Lakers drafted him: 'People don't see him getting up at 5am'

Three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade came to Bronny James' defense as chatter of nepotism continue to circulate following his draft selection. 

On June 27, the 19-year-old was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft, teaming him up with his father and Lakers star LeBron James. 

In an appearance on the TODAY Show, host Craig Melvin asked the Miami Heat legend about the claims of other players 'being more deserving' of Bronny's position. 

'None of them can beat him in basketball,' Wade responded. 'So you can't listen to that.'

'Like I said, if you're not there with me every day, if you're not going through the moments where you gotta embrace the suck, if you're not going through moments where you wanna quit because it's so hard. If you're not in this with me, I can't listen to you comment about me.'

Wade, a close friend of LeBron, encouraged Bronny to block out the noise and referenced his deal with Beats by Dre. 

'So hopefully Bronny has his headphones on, I know he has a headphones deal,' Wade continued. 'He's just locked in on a kid who's always had a dream. And that dream, probably, was to be his dad. 

'Not to be exactly like him on the floor but to live that dream out that his dad wanted to live - to play the game of basketball at the highest level. We all root for him and we all block out the comments for him.'

Wade belonged in the star-studded 2003 NBA Draft class that had James getting picked first overall. Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Wade got selected third, fourth, and fifth, respectively. 

James, Wade and Bosh joined forces in Miami during the 2010-11 NBA season and remained together for for years. The 'Big Three' era saw Miami appear in four NBA Finals and win two championships together. 

About ten years after their trio broke up, James is entering his 22nd season in the NBA with his firstborn on his team - making them the first father and son tandem in the league. 

'I love it. I love it. It's history. LeBron has been incredible for this game,' Wade said of the achievement. 'Incredible's not even a big enough word.' 

'And so for this to happen [in] his 22nd year,' he continued. 'I remember the day Bronny was born. And now to see that he's gonna get an opportunity to be in the NBA. I think a lot of people don't get a chance to see the work that athletes put in.'

'They haven't seen Bronny James get up at 5am in the morning to live his dream out [and] the work he's put in behind the scenes to get to this point is incredible. I love it, we all gone' follow it, we're all rooting for Bronny, and everybody just allow Bronny to be him.'

The purple and gold drafted Bronny after his lone season at the University of Southern California.

As a freshman, the former Sierra Canyon star played in 25 games and made six starts for the Trojans. Bronny averaged only 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists as his team finished with a 15-18 record, placing ninth in the Pac-12. 

On the other hand, LeBron averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists while shooting 54 percent from the field this past season. 

With new head coach JJ Redick at the helm, the Lakers look to bounce back after losing to the Denver Nuggets, 4-1, in the opening round of the playoffs earlier this year.  

'Can't wait,' Wade said. 'I'll be there.'