“All Bullsh*t”: Rich Paul Reveals Dark Secret Of NBA Draft As He Gets Protective Of Bronny James & Other Clients

The 2024 NBA Draft is only a few hours away. Feeling excited? You should be. But if you don’t want a balloon-popping ending that hype, this is where you should click the back button. Because what’s after this might change your perception of the draft. Now, you might think I’m bluffing, but surely Rich Paul, Bronny James’ agent, won’t be a falsifier. LeBron James‘ elder son is a key attraction of this year’s draft. But Bronny is calm and composed about his situation. Those who are not, are us, the fans. What if Bronny goes undrafted? Will you lose your sleep being a LeBron stan? Rest assured, because neither Rich Paul nor Bronny will lose theirs.

During the latest episode of The Pivot Podcast, Rich Paul dived deep into the world of the drafts. The subject of conversation was mostly James family-oriented and so Bronny’s draft situation was inevitably discussed. But Rich Paul dropped the bombshell when he said that it’s better to go undrafted than get your name called for a two-way deal. His reasoning was clear. “They don’t even understand what that means…That’s an understanding that if they make an investment, you have an opportunity to have a longer tenure. And so now that team is willing to roster that player,” Paul explained.

The Klutch Sports CEO further unboxed a startling info. “Do you know that if you look at the 2016 draft, and this is why everybody go crazy about the draft and having first rounders and all that, it’s all bullsh*t. But do you know about, correct me if I’m wrong, it’s about 22, 18 to 22 first-round picks that are no longer in the NBA,” Paul revealed. The two-way contract earns a player half of the rookie scale salary in the NBA. With less of an investment from the franchise, the contract holder becomes vulnerable to swift disposal.

But Bronny is only 19. He has eyes filled with hopes of making it in the NBA, just like several others in his draft class. Not just for LeBron’s son but Rich Paul spoke about any youngster’s “willingness to be coached”, their “attitude and approach” and openness and understanding of playing the Summer League are key factors that every agent/parent should instill in them. On the other hand, from a youngster’s perspective, they just want to hear their names called and Bronny is no different, according to Rich Paul. In retrospect, as the older fans will reflect, his situation starkly contrasts the one his father faced 21 years ago.

“He don’t have to”: Rich Paul opens up about Bronny James’ situation, as we draw parallels with his dad

During the same episode, Rich Paul also highlighted how different Bronny and his dad’s scenarios are. When LeBron declared for the draft in 2003, he was an All-American prospect with comparisons with Magic Johnson in his scouting reports, and the media was fully sold that he’d be a future NBA veteran because of his playmaking and all-around abilities. On the other hand, Bronny is going into the draft as a potential 2nd round pick. According to Paul, “It’s his dream. It’s his passion. It’s his want. He don’t have to go to the NBA. He don’t have to. I mean, you know, his father had to. He don’t have to. He wants to because he has a love for the game.”

Paul previously made it clear that his client would not be signing a two-way deal and Bronny was ready to take advantage of his draft opportunity. As per the latest reports, Bronny is the favorite to land with the Lakers as a 55th draft pick. And with LeBron in potential talks with the franchise over a new contract, his life-long dream of playing with his son might just be fulfilled. So if you ignored the alert at the beginning of this article and made it thus far, then hopefully it turns out to be a happy finale with potential father-son team-up news. And with JJ Redick now spearheading the franchise’s vision, even he was quick to drop an indirect hint about acquiring the 19-year-old in his introductory presser itself!

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what brand maker, Leonard Armato, had to say about the deadly duo, Shaq and Kobe, check out this video