Undeserving: Bronny James And The NBA Draft
Rich Paul is quickly becoming the Scott Boras of basketball. An agent who gets the best (and usually the most) for his clients while angering teams and fans alike. In a world where the casual fan views athletes as overpaid primadonnas, Rich Paul is the ultimate villain.
The sports super agent recently drew ire from the masses when he said NBA Draft, second-round prospect Bronny James would only work out for two teams, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns. "This is nothing new," he said. "The goal is to find a team that values your guy and try to push him to get there...My stuff is by design."
Steering the draft future of a prospect can rub people the wrong way, and there are some who feel that Bronny should not be drafted at all. Social media is flooded with comments from fans who think the only reason James has any leverage is because of his future Hall of Fame father. Surprisingly, internet trolls with limited vocabularies understand the word nepotism.
LeBron Sr may be one of the most hated NBA players of all time. His antics on the court are laughable, and his self-importance off the court (as far as his comments to the press or anyone who has ears) is cring-worthy. It makes sense that any venom spewed towards him would splash onto his son due to proximity.
People fail to recognize, or at least acknowledge, that since the beginning of time, people have used their friends and family to get better jobs, titles, and/or pay. George W Bush got into Yale because his dad is the school's most prestigious alum. Why should sports be any different?
In fact, sports are exactly the same. Mike Piazza went to the University of Miami and sat on the bench for a year before transferring to a smaller school (Miami-Dade). After hitting just three home runs, he was drafted by the LA Dodgers because Tommy Lasorda was his godfather. Piazza went on to have a Hall of Fame career, but it was a family connection that gave him his opportunity.
Now LeBron James is doing the same thing for his son. It's true he only averaged 4.8 ppg at USC, but he was a top 20 high school player in the country going into college. His dad is getting him to the NBA, and so what? Maybe he will have a Hall of Fame career just like Piazza. It's not how we get an opportunity, it's what we do with it. Let's see what this kid does with his.
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