As the 2024 NBA Draft approaches, there has been no shortage of speculation regarding Bronny James.
Don’t, however, get excited about the possibility of LeBron James’ son selling out G League arenas just yet, as his agent, Rich Paul, has publicly confirmed that his client won’t be signing a two-way contract.
“Yes, that’s absolutely true,” Paul told Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes. “Teams know that. I’m not doing that.”
For the uninitiated, each NBA team is permitted to have three players on two-way contracts, which permits those players to appear in both NBA and G League games. With only players with three or fewer years of NBA service eligible for such contracts, they have typically been reserved for teams’ second-round picks or undrafted players.
Part of the reason why Bronny James has been projected as a potential G League player — who could “pack arenas” — is because his draft stock remains uncertain. To that end, even Paul admitted that when it comes to the 19-year-old guard, his projections have varied.
“Bronny’s range has been all over,” Paul told Haynes. “Some teams think he goes 20 to 40, some say 30-50, and some teams think he’ll go undrafted. It just takes one team. This is something I do every year during the draft process. This is not Bronny-centric. He’s a part of our draft class. I have to try to help find the right fit for all my guys as well as the right deal. So that’s how I’m looking at it.”
In its latest mock draft, ESPN projected the Boston Celtics to select James with the No. 54 overall pick. Ironically, that would take the USC freshman off the board one pick before his father’s team, the Los Angeles Lakers, are slated to make their own second-round selection.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.