Rich Paul says it was Jeanie Buss who made the call to draft Bronny James: "She's been able to see Bronny in all aspects"

Much has been talked about the Los Angeles Lakers drafting LeBron James' son Bronny during the 2024 NBA Draft. The team was put under the microscope despite the Lakers taking Bronny with the second-to-the-last overall pick in this year's draft.

Many didn't think that LeBron Jr. was ready to go to the next level after a so-so freshman season at USC. But in a move that didn't really surprise many people, the Purple and Gold used the 55th pick to bring father and son together in Lala Land.

GM Rob Pelinka and newly minted head coach JJ Redick have taken all the criticism for drafting LeBron's eldest son. However, according to the James Gang's super agent , Rich Paul , the decision to draft Bronny was made by the Lakers' top boss herself.

"Look, Jeanie decided that she's making this call, and she's been able to see Bronny in all aspects, not only from a basketball perspective but also from a character perspective. And he has everything that aligns with the Laker brand. And so, you have to make that type of call. At the end of the day, we're not going to spend too much time on that. Bronny has to work his way, and he will," said Paul during his recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

Buss has always been a definitive decision-maker

Jeanie 's decision to draft Bronny makes sense. Ever since the beginning, she has been a decisive team owner who has never been afraid to make the biggest moves. As soon as she took over, she fired her brother Jim as Head of Basketball Operations and fought off a coup attempt by Jim and his older brother Johnny to take control of the iconic franchise.

One of her first big basketball moves was signing LeBron in 2018, and she even defended James from Kobe fanatics who didn't want him in L.A. In the summer of 2019, Jeanie also made the tough decision to trade the Lakers' young core of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart to acquire Anthony Davis.

"That was difficult for me because I get attached, especially to those young players. But in order to get great talent, you have to give up great talent. So I like to think that I have that gene that Dr. Jerry Buss was talking about," said Jeanie on the All the Smoke podcast.

Related: "Why does he change his hair color or paint his nails? That shouldn't be important to us" – Michael Jordan gives honest take on new Bulls teammate Dennis Rodman in 1995

Bronny has been a bummer

But while Jeanie's gambit to acquire AD paid off as the Lakers won the 2020 NBA championship, it remains to be seen how her latest 'big balls' move will unfold. So far, Bronny has struggled in the Summer League, and the Lakers are looking foolish for taking him.

After the Lakers' Monday loss to the Boston Celtics, LeBron Jr. is averaging 4.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game in four Summer League games played. He is shooting just 7-31 from the field, including 0-15 from three-point distance.

Bronny has gotten every opportunity from the Lakers. He's getting more than enough playing time to prove his worth, but he needs to deliver. Her credibility could be on the line, too.

Related: “I’ve gone from trying to evaluate Bronny as ‘how good he can be’ to ‘can he play?’” – Skip Bayless is starting to doubt if Bronny James belongs at this level