Wealthy Paul, the long-time agent of LeBron James, now represents his son Bronny, and the agent did some talking on behalf of the youthful James as he continues to undergo the pre-draft course of.
The youthful James declared for the 2024 NBA Draft, however Paul insists he won’t signal a two-way contract with a professional workforce.
“Sure, that’s completely true,” he advised Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes in a prolonged interview. “Groups know that. I’m not doing that.”
Based on The Athletic’s Shams Charania, James has over 10 exercise invitations however is “solely anticipated” to satisfy with a couple of groups, together with the Lakers, who decide at No. 17 and No. 55, and the Suns, who’ve the No. 22 decide within the draft.
Paul additionally advised Haynes that Bronny — who additionally suffered cardiac arrest previous to his freshman season — isn’t merely getting a possibility due to his identify.
Paul prompt that the four-star highschool recruit, who averaged 4.8 factors per recreation and logged beneath 20 minutes an evening as USC’s sixth man, doesn’t must “apologize” for his lineage.
“What do you assume goes to occur with Jeff Bezos’ youngsters? He constructed Amazon. You assume they’re not going to be positioned primarily based upon what he’s constructed?” Paul stated. “And none of them ought to feel sorry about that. The one factor you possibly can go by is being grateful, treating folks a sure method and enhancing one thing that you simply have been positioned for. They shouldn’t apologize for that.
“And Bronny shouldn’t apologize for who his dad is.”
Paul additionally spoke on folks rooting in opposition to James’ success.
“I’m not going sit right here and punish a dad for being enthusiastic about his son as a result of for a few years, the Black father was portrayed as absent and he was portrayed as non-supportive,” he added. “There could have been some expectations by social media pleasure that will have raised consciousness to the place folks wish to see you fail greater than they wish to see you succeed. Bronny catches a number of strays from his father’s success. However that’s all a part of it.”
Paul stated Bronny isn’t getting “particular therapy” within the course of, regardless of criticism of his precise NBA potential given his restricted faculty pattern, saying that it’s “very naive logic” to assume he’s getting particular therapy due to LeBron.
