Report: Agent threatened teams not to draft Bronny James
Nov 24, 2023; La Jolla, California, USA; USC Trojans guard Bronny James (6) warms up before the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at LionTree Arena. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers made Bronny James their second-round pick on Thursday, and one report suggests agent Rich Paul had a lot to do with it.
During ESPN’s NBA Draft coverage, former Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers reported that Paul was calling teams throughout the second round of the draft and warning them not to pick Bronny. Paul was reportedly threatening to have Bronny play in Australia if selected.
"Rich Paul is calling teams, don't take Bronny James … if you take him, he's going to Australia." 😳
Bob Myers on Bronny James' draft status 👀 pic.twitter.com/p6mWNMAjma
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 27, 2024
“Rich Paul is calling teams. ‘Don’t take Bronny James.’ He’s telling them, ‘do not take him,'” Myers said. “If you take him, he’s going to Australia. So he has a plan, and he has a place.”
Presumably, Paul made no such threat to the Lakers, who wound up taking Bronny. It does not take a lot to assume that Paul’s strategy was to scare every other team away from taking Bronny so he would still be available for the Lakers at No. 55.
Paul was very stingy in terms of which teams Bronny worked out for during the pre-draft process. He also had a fairly uncompromising public stance on Bronny’s contract demands.
Perhaps Paul was being honest, but it is also possible that he has been trying to maneuver Bronny to the Lakers through the entire process. If so, he has done his job.
