Bronny James’ agent, Rich Paul, was reportedly telling teams to not take his client before he was ultimately picked by LeBron’s Lakers at No. 55.
That’s according to ESPN’s Bob Myers, who revealed the news in the middle of the second round of the NBA Draft on Thursday afternoon.
‘Rich Paul is calling teams, [saying] don’t take Bronny James,’ Myers, the former Golden State Warriors GM, told the ESPN panel. ‘He’s telling them do not take him.
‘If you take him, he’s going to Australia. So he has a plan and he has a place.’
After not being drafted on Wednesday night’s first round, James slid to the back end of the second round before the Lakers pulled the trigger.
Bronny James’ agent Rich Paul is telling teams to not select the NBA hopeful in the Draft
Bronny James is seen in New York City ahead of the second round of the 2024 NBA draft
This is not the first time that Paul has done this, with the super agent telling teams last season to not select his client Chris Livingston.
Livingston was eventually selected with the last pick of the draft by the Milwaukee Bucks.
It’s unclear why Paul would do this, but there are several obvious potential reasons.
For starters, Bronny could control his own destiny as an undrafted free agent, allowing him to sign with his dad’s Lakers or with another desirable team.
Also, with Bronny as an undrafted free agent, Paul would have have fewer restrictions on his client’s rookie deal.
The Lakers opted against using their first-round pick to draft LeBron’s James’ eldest son, who was snubbed entirely on Wednesday night.
On Thursday, the 19-year-old was spotted stepping out of a car in New York, wearing pink sneakers a matching pullover on his shoulders.
James wasn’t taken by his father’s team, the Los Angeles Lakers, in the first round Wednesday
The first round of the draft was a glitzy ceremony at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where Zaccharie Risacher became the second Frenchman in as many years to be drafted first.
This is the first time in history that the NBA draft is a two-day event. The ceremony on Thursday was a more low-key affair, held in New York City’s Seaport district.
The 19-year-old and his entourage were nowhere to be seen at Barclays Center as Los Angeles used the 17th overall pick to select Dalton Knecht of .
Instead, LeBron shared footage of himself with Bronny and his younger son Bryce, 17, hooping in Manhattan on Instagram, captioning his post: ‘Not a feeling in the world better than being around raising my boys to MEN!
‘Pops over here getting emotional as hell just thinking yall journey so far! Thank you both for allowed me to be your DAD and be part of your compass through life’s trials and tribulations!’
