On Day 2 of the 2024 NBA Draft, ESPN analyst and former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers revealed that Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul “is calling teams, (saying) don’t take Bronny James,” Myers reveals.
“Rich Paul is calling teams, don’t take Bronny James … if you take him, he’s going to Australia.” 😳
Bob Myers on Bronny James’ draft status 👀 pic.twitter.com/p6mWNMAjma
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 27, 2024
“…If you take him, he’s going to Australia. So he has a plan and he has a place…”
James is largely expected to be selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Bronny James Heading to Australia’s NBL?
If James heads to Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL), he’ll be taking a route that American prospects have utilized for years. The most notable of these players may be Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball. Rather than taking a traditional path to the NBA, Ball played for a semi-professional league in Lithuania before heading to the NBL. After one season with the Illawarra Hawks, Ball was selected with the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
In 2023-24, five-star recruit Trentyn Flowers and four-star high school recruit AJ Johnson played in the NBL. Flowers would play for the Adelaide 36ers, averaging 14.4 minutes per game. Unlike Ball, Johnson played a minor role for Illawarra, averaging just 8.2 minutes per game. As a result, their numbers were pedestrian. More importantly, they weren’t able to develop as much as they expected.
This is the obstacle that James must avoid. A four-star high school recruit as well, James should already anticipate having to work for his playing time. There, his father’s mantra of ‘earned, not given’ will come to life.
As Paul doesn’t currently represent any players in the NBL, it’s unclear what team James would be heading to.
The LeBron James Effect
With the Lakers hiring LeBron James’s friend as head coach and drafting a prospect he’s a fan of in Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, the writing may be on the wall for both players. To be sure, James still hasn’t decided whether he’ll pick up his player option for the 2024-25 season. Nonetheless, his return to L.A. was highly anticipated before the Lakers’ geared their offseason moves towards his interests.
Indeed, in many ways, Los Angeles hopes to provide James with an offer he can’t refuse.
