Rich Paul helped Bronny James on the path to his Lakers career and before his first official game, there were already countless questions and doubts about his NBA potential. While most would buckle under the weight of the pressure, Rich Paul says Bronny is built to handle it and that there were zero downsides to his decision to jump straight from his rookie season to the NBA.
“If anyone can handle it, it’s him,” Paul said via ESPN’s Baxter Holmes. “I told Bronny, it’s admirable to me that you’re choosing to even go through this process. You don’t have to put yourself through this… To me, we should be looking at this kid and saying, man, that’s admirable. But because you’re judging him with one eye on him and one eye on his dad and how you feel about his dad, good, bad or indifferent, you critique him at a different level…. So you’re talking about time? F— time. The time is now. There’s only pros, he’s the first player to only have pros.”
LeBron and Bronny James just played their first pre-season game together this week and it was a very emotional moment for both men. What you might not know is that the moment was years in the making with a lot of maneuvering from multiple sides to make it happen. So far, there are no regrets.
With just a few Summer League games in the books, we don’t yet know how soon Bronny’s development will progress but one thing that the Lakers want to do is get the kid some time on the court with his dad from the very start.
“I think the sooner we can get past it, the better,” Paul said. “And look, there’s a world where Bronny will look back on it, and his dad will be done playing, and he’ll appreciate his willingness to lean into playing with his dad because it’s a cool thing. Whichever way you want to flip the mirror, it’s a cool thing. But for right now, where the two are at, I think it’s even cooler for his dad.”
Of course, many claim that Bronny would have been better off staying in college for an extra year or two to enhance his game and develop his skills. After suffering a cardiac arrest last summer, critics argued that another season might give Bronny more time to fully recover from the setback.
But with a chance to make history and secure his place on the Lakers, Bronny couldn’t turn down the opportunity to join the NBA this year and he pulled the strings to make his dreams come true.
So far, all signs point to a positive season for the Lakers with LeBron and his son at the center of it. As they play together throughout the season, there will be much to gain in knowledge and experience both on and off the court.
After inking a four-year rookie deal this offseason, Bronny is feeling safe and secure in his future knowing that time is on his side. With all the tools to enhance his impact, it’ll be up to Bronny to maximize his potential and live up to his family name. Bronny has embraced the pressure so far and has not lost confidence in his status as a true NBA athlete.
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