The 2024 NBA Draft is just days away and Bronny James continues to be the most-talked-about prospect. Bronny’s agent Rich Paul appeared on Gil’s Arena recently where he shared a conversation the two of them had, to give an insight into his client’s mentality.
“Man, just for him to be able to fulfill his dream,” Paul said. “I sat with him in my office and I said to him, ‘Bronny, what’s important to you?’ You know what he said to me? (He said), ‘Man, Rich, I just want to hear my name called.’ He didn’t say, ‘I wanna go No. 1, No. 15, No. 30.’ He just said, ‘I wanna hear my name called.’ That is perspective, right?”
Rich Paul to Bronny: "What's important to you?"
Bronny: "I just want to hear my name called"
Rich Paul on Bronny's thoughts entering the NBA Draft. pic.twitter.com/Leiz8hTZaj
— Gil’s Arena (@GilsArenaShow) June 24, 2024
I think that is the kind of mentality you need to have if you’re Bronny. He hasn’t deluded himself into thinking he should be going high in the draft and whatnot. The 19-year-old just wants to have his name called and then get an opportunity to live out his dream of succeeding in the NBA.
It looks almost certain at this point, that Bronny will have his name called, despite only averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game as a freshman for USC. No one seems sure where he is going to go. There have been murmurs about him being a second-round pick but he might end up going in the first round itself.
The Los Angeles Lakers are the team Bronny has been heavily linked with, as his father LeBron James plays for them. LeBron had spoken in the past about wanting to play with his son but has seemingly changed his stance now. Paul insinuated that James has called off his plans to play with Bronny next season.
As for the others who have shown an interest in Bronny, the Phoenix Suns have reportedly brought him in for two official workouts. Paul also revealed that the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, and Toronto Raptors are interested in drafting Bronny.
Rich Paul Says Bronny James Cannot Be Above Criticism
While there has been a lot of positive coverage of Bronny, there has been a lot of negative as well. Paul isn’t a fan of that but added that his client cannot be above criticism based on the line of work he chose.
“People feel a lot better saying something negative to you before they can ever be positive, and it makes them feel good for whatever the case may be,” Paul said. “… Bronny can’t be above the criticism and the opinions of others because this is the world that he’s in. So, he shouldn’t get any preferential treatment.
“He gotta go through the journey, he gotta go through the barber shop talks, because this is the life he chose,” Paul continued. “He chose to aspire to be a professional athlete. That smoke. you have to embrace that.”
(starts at 0:47 mark):
I do hope Bronny has some thick skin because a whole lot of criticism is going to come his way, especially from social media, if he steps out on the court and doesn’t perform. The fact that he is LeBron’s son means there is unfortunately a target on his back and I hope he is able to deal with it well and have success.
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