“Somebody’s Comin From the Gutter”: Bronny James’ Luxury to Workout for Only 2 Teams for Draft Very Rare, Argues Former Wolves Vet

LeBron James‘ eldest son has been the talk of the town ever since he declared his candidacy for the NBA draft. Despite not ranking high on any mock drafts, Bronny has gotten a lot of attention thanks to his father. The 19-year-old’s decision to visit only two NBA teams for workouts ahead of the draft has polarized the basketball community. While many find it a luxury that only the rich or celebrity kids can afford, some fans claim Bronny knows what’s best for him and should be left alone. Former NBA player Rashad McCants believes that there are players who would participate in all the workouts to prove their worth.

Because of limited financial resources, these players can’t afford to miss out on any opportunities. During a conversation on the Gil’s Arena podcast, former NBA guard Brandon Jennings mentioned that he participated in 13 NBA draft workouts as he wanted to prove himself. He also took the name of Russell Westbrook, who went above and beyond to prove himself during the Draft workouts. This is when McCants entered the fray and gave his two cents on the matter.

After berating Bronny’s agent, Rich Paul’s statement about why his client would only workout for two teams, he said, “To me, that’s a safety net. That’s a protection plan, that security through and through for a guy who’s, obviously, his parent is a former NBA player. They got millions of dollars right,” McCants said on Gil’s Arena.

He further added, “Somebody’s coming from the gutter, somebody’s got to come through the grind and through the mud for it, they don’t got that. Ain’t no plan, ain’t no commitment. All that s**t comes from a whole different element of, ‘Man, I got to get it. I got to go through all these different workouts and I want them to all see that I’m a killer… I wanna prove that these dudes can’t f**k with me at all.”

As per Shams Charania, Bronny received around 10 offers from NBA teams. However, he declined all of them. As mentioned on Run It Back, the 19-year-old will participate in workouts for only two teams: Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns. As per another member of the show, Nick Young though, it was only right for Bronny to work out for just two teams of his choice.

Nick Young’s reaction to Bronny James’ refusing team offers

His comment might be right considering the interest the Lakers have shown in drafting Bronny. He even cited the example of Rodney Stuckey. “Teams already know who they going to pick coming into the draft. Like I knew Rodney Stuckey only worked out for one team really because they said they was going to pick him before the draft. So some people just have that luxury so why go to other places if you already know you gonna be a Laker or a Sun,” Young contended.

The conversation began after LeBron James’ sports agent, Rich Paul’s comment was mentioned. Cleverly keeping both opportunities open, Bronny had previously entered the transfer portal. However, things have changed now. According to Paul, Bronny will not be returning to college. Bronny’s lackluster college performance has largely been the reason behind the criticism. Even his choices are under scrutiny among NBA veterans and experts.

Coming from a financially well-off family helps young players enter any career or field, including that of their parents’ fame. However, whether they will remain in the career is decided solely by their talent. What is your take on this?

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.