“For me to see him on his hospital bed watching film”: Rich Paul recalls aftermath of Bronny James’ cardiac arrest in July 2023
Bronny James has come a long way from mounting a dismal collegiate run to becoming one of the most popular prospects in the 2024 NBA draft. Even though James has been a target for plenty of expert criticism, one of the biggest hurdles in his path came last July, when he suffered a cardiac arrest during a team practice at USC.
James returned home within a week, but he was forced into a four-month hiatus from the basketball court due to recovery reasons. As a result, he was stuffed into the Pac-12 with a roster and coaching staff that never got the opportunity to build chemistry with him.
Nevertheless, as Bronny James now nears his NBA dream, his agent Rich Paul radiated the defensive guard's commitment during adversity.
"I had got the call that Bronny was the best player on the floor that day," Paul said on 'Gil's Arena' podcast. "I'm on a plane flying back from Atlanta. Five minutes later, I got another call that the accident had happened. Now, I gotta get on the plane and fly four hours across the country to get back home. That's my nephew, forget about the other stuff. Imagine that.
"And then for me to see him in his hospital bed, a day or two later, watching film. Don't tell me about no kid. I don't care what platform you got you and you want to critique. You can't tell me about this kid," Paul added.
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Ever since James declared for the draft, Rich Paul has contested the notions of the defensive guard being unfit to make the big league switch. He is also a longtime friend and agent of NBA icon LeBron James, Bronny's father.
Moreover, being his agent, Paul has been meticulously directing James' draft candidacy. One of Paul's moves was to disregard all two-way contract offers, ensuring that Bronny James does not get relegated to the G-League.
Bronny James' USC coach vouches for his professionalism
Even though Bronny James managed to turn heads in the combine, his USC stint still takes away from the optimism he displayed. He was a potential college superstar while playing in high school but only posted 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists on less than 37% shooting in his freshman year with the Trojans.
Nevertheless, his former coach Andy Enfield recently applauded him for his dedication, camaraderie and personal values.
"He's never wavered from being a great teammate and working extremely hard in practice, and you can count on him as an individual," Enflield said while speaking on InsideTroy.
Bronny sacrificed his natural point guard role with USC and was consistently seen playing on the wing. Moreover, despite logging less than 20 minutes per game and starting just six games, he never protested the coach's decisions.
Enfield's comments are similar to what experts claimed about James' professionalism after he sat with the media during the combine.