GWINN: Drafting Bronny James Was Right for LeBron, Not Right for Bronny

LeBron James’ agent and longtime friend, Rich Paul, reportedly called NBA teams, warning them not to draft his client’s son, Bronny, before the Lakers picked him in the second round.

And what would Paul do if a team drafted Bronny? He reportedly told teams Bronny would play in Australia if they drafted him.

The report of the bizarre threat comes from former Warriors GM and current ESPN analyst Bob Myers.

“Rich Paul’s calling teams and saying, ‘Don’t take Bronny James,’” Myers said on ESPN’s NBA Draft show.

“He’s saying, ‘Don’t take him. If you take him, he’s going to Australia. So he has a plan, and he has a place.”

Myers added, “I think we can all imagine what the goal is for Rich Paul in that situation. There’s a difference between hoping that happens and making sure that happens.”

Well, it worked!

As sweet as it would have been for a team to call Rich Paul’s bluff and draft him, Bronny James was selected by the Lakers with the 55th overall pick.

Of course, the threat from “down under” may not have been totally necessary. Since, as several NBA scouts have said, Bronny James is not good enough to play in the NBA.

Honestly, this is sad.

Bronny James couldn’t even crack the starting lineup at USC. Now he’s a Laker? Why? Because of his dad’s dream of playing next to his son before he retires. Understandable! Who wouldn’t want to play professional sports next to their son if they were in the truly unbelievable position of being able to do so?

But is that what’s right for Bronny? A player of relatively limited skill who averaged less than 5 points a game during an extremely brief stint in college where he wasn’t good enough to start?

Wouldn’t it have been better if Bronny had spent a few years learning and developing at the collegiate level before making this jump? Yes, it would have. But that wasn’t what was best for LeBron, so here we are.

What is Bronny going to do when LeBron quits in 3 years? Or less? He’ll be out of the league and won’t be able to go back to the NCAA. Australia would actually look like a very good option at that point!

However, it may not be open to him.

Not to mention the extreme dislike many players will have for Bronny, knowing that he wouldn’t even be there without his father’s legendary status and influence, Bronny James was always going to be in his father’s shadow. There’s no way around that. However, there’s a difference between being in someone’s shadow and being consumed and carried by the shadow.

Bronny James seems like a genuinely good kid. But he deserves the right to stand on his own two feet. LeBron robbed him of that, and that’s wrong.