"That is what it is" - Rich Paul addresses predraft rumors about Bronny James
Klutch Sports founder Rich Paul found himself trending during the NBA draft when former Warriors general manager Bob Myers said on ESPN's broadcast that Paul warned teams not to draft LeBron James' son.
With the 55th pick, the LA Lakers selected Bronny James in a historic move, thus potentially having the first father-and-son duo playing in the NBA. The young guard has also signed a four-year deal with the purple-and-gold franchise to start his professional journey.
In his appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday, Rich Paul addressed some of the predraft rumors involving Bronny James.
"There were several teams that had interest in Bronny," Paul said, "but you do have the calls and you talk about it, and they understand it. That's just relationships throughout the league. The Australia thing, that is what it is. In terms of having real conversations with people that actually had real interest ... it goes both ways."
Before the NBA draft, Rich Paul highlighted the importance of finding the right fit for his clients. This, he said, involves being part of a proper player development program to best hone a player's skill set.
Paul told ESPN following reports of Bronny only having workouts with the Lakers and the Suns.
Rich Paul talked about the process that Bronny James has to go through now in the NBA
In the same interview, Paul spoke on the outlook of Bronny James' early years in the NBA in an expected development process.
"I think all these guys are in development. Bronny is no different. He doesn't get excluded from having to develop. ... It's just about building great habits. ... He's playing basketball because it's his passion. I don't look at Summer League as the end all, be all, whether he was averaging 30 or whether he was averaging 3."
Bronny James is 6'2" and 210 pounds. In the 2024 season for USC, he averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He had a 36.6 field goal percentage and 26.7 from beyond.