Rich Paul: Jeanie Buss made the call to draft Bronny James

Even though he was only the No. 55 pick in last month’s NBA draft, Bronny James is the most talked-about incoming rookie in the league right now. Obviously, it is because he is the son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, although some feel he has some real potential himself.

Others who aren’t as optimistic about his potential feel the only reason the Lakers drafted him was because of the influence of his father, as well as Rich Paul, who is the agent for both the younger and elder James. The perception is that Paul, at the behest of the elder James, dictated the entire pre-draft process to make sure the younger James would end up with the Lakers.

In an interview on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Paul said Lakers owner Jeanie Buss was the one who decided to draft the 19-year-old.

“Look, Jeanie Buss 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,” said Paul. “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.”

In the end, this statement won’t convince critics that the decision to draft the younger James was an organic one rather than an orchestrated one that was meant to appease the elder James.

The former University of Southern California guard shot very poorly in his first four summer league games this month. But on Wednesday, he finally broke out with 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting while also going 2-of-5 from 3-point range. Prior to Wednesday’s game, he had missed all 15 of his 3-point attempts.