"They have every right to critique Bronny James' game": Rich Paul wants critics to analyze USC star without getting a ‘pass’ for being LeBron’s son

Speaking on the criticism surrounding USC guard Bronny James, LeBron James' agent and longtime friend Rich Paul mentioned that he wants folks to look at Bronny's game without focusing too much on the fact that he is LeBron's son.

In an interview with Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes, the Klutch Sports founder and CEO said this about the seemingly constant negativity surrounding Bronny James and the coverage he's getting just before the 2024 NBA Draft:

"Negativity is something that oozes through the veins of people. But as far as the sports people having an opinion, they have every right to have an opinion, and they have every right to critique Bronny's game. Under no circumstance should he get a pass because of who his father is."

Many folks online believe that despite his clearly poor showing at USC, Bronny James is still getting major media coverage because he is the son of LeBron James. But people are also ignoring that in the recently concluded NBA Draft Combine, the 6-foot-2 guard had a relatively impressive run in several drills.

One of the biggest bits of news is his athleticism, showcased by a 40.5-inch max vertical leap which was among the five highest marks in the entire combine. Aside from that, Bronny James also showcased his shooting stroke, drilling 12 straight threes from NBA range and hitting 19 of 25 overall in a three-point shooting drill:

Lastly, the second 5-on-5 scrimmage in day 2 of the Combine showed off Bronny James' overall feel for scoring and running the offense. He finished the scrimmage with 13 points (two three-pointers) in 23 minutes, with a couple of assists on 4-of-10 shooting from the field.

Rich Paul would advise Bronny James not to sign two-way contract

Despite initially being left out on mock drafts, Bronny James seems to have impressed enough to finally be included in updated lists as a potential late second-rounder, going at no. 54 post-Combine (via ESPN).

But should Bronny go undrafted, Rich Paul said that he wouldn't let the USC guard sign a two-way contract (via NBC Sports).

Yes, that’s absolutely true. Teams know that. I’m not doing that," Paul said.

For the uninitiated, that kind of contract states that a player can be assigned to an NBA team or its G-League affiliate squad at any time.

But as Haynes notes, the threat of not signing a two-way might be posturing from Paul to deter other teams from drafting Bronny.