With the 2024 NBA Draft coming up in two days, Rich Paul has a massive task. Apart from the King, the 42-year-old also represents LeBron’s son Bronny James, who is one of the hottest prospects for the upcoming draft. During his recent appearance on Gil’s Arena podcast, Paul talked about how Bronny has been preparing for the draft and the criticism that has come his way.
The founder of Klutch Sports Group said that the 19-year-old cannot be immune to criticism only because he is the son of LeBron. Even though he has been around Bronny since he was a baby, Paul added that it’s impossible to hide from criticism if one wishes to be an NBA player,
“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.”
He said that a lot has already been said about the youngster and such things will continue to be put out in the media in the future. The best thing that Bronny can do is be prepared for it like every other athlete does. He 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.”
As for the criticism about Bronny’s recent performance and stats, Paul stated that these are the result of things that aren’t under anyone’s control. He said that if the health issue, he went through last year, didn’t happen, Bronny would have been a “superhuman of a young man” in the eyes of the public. Regardless of what happened and where he’s positioned in this year’s draft class, Paul is proud of the youngster.
The hype around Bronny’s name has always been there, largely because of the relevance of his last name. However, his stocks took a nosedive following the cardiac arrest he suffered which affected his game as well. However, Paul believes that these things don’t matter in the grand scheme, and he doesn’t even look at his stats because all he sees is a young man, on the verge of fulfilling his lifelong dream.
He said, “I don’t give a sh*t about any of that. The fact that he is able to fulfill his dream is a beautiful thing because I wish more of us, athletes or not athletes, of our kids just got to fulfill their dreams.”
Paul is looking at the bigger picture here. On top of that, Bronny’s stats today might not be as impressive, but he has a lot of scope for growth. Soon, he might start playing at a level that’s expected out of him as a talented young player.
