LeBron and Bronny James' agent has no problem with Jaylen Brown's comments
BOSTON -- Jaylen Brown caused a bit of a stir earlier this week when he was spotted voicing some doubt about Bronny James' chances in the NBA. But Rich Paul -- the agent for LeBron and Bronny James and the CEO of Klutch Sports -- has taken no issue with Brown voicing his opinion.
Brown was enjoying Monday night's Celtics-Lakers Summer League game in Las Vegas with WNBA players Kysre Gondrezick and Angel Reese, when he was caught on camera talking about the younger James, whom the Lakers drafted 55th overall last month.
"Honestly, I don't think Bronny is a pro," Brown said, according to internet lip-readers.
Lakers fans obviously didn't take kindly to Brown's assessment, and the Celtics star had to clarify things a bit on X later in the night. But the man who represents Bronny and LeBron had no problem with the comment, saying that Brown was only stating his opinion.
"I saw some of the stuff that came out about Jaylen Brown and things like that," Paul said in an appearance on Wednesday's The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN. "You can't take everybody's opinion and try to turn it against them or think that he's a bad person or the lady that was accompanying him is a bad person. No. They have opinions. They can say what they want to say."
Paul even said that Brown's opinion carries a lot more water, given his resume in the NBA.
"At least he is someone who is actually in the league. There's a lot of 'experts' with no expertise; he's actually an expert with expertise," Paul said of Brown, who is fresh off an NBA championship with the Celtics. "So, if he has that opinion, he can have that opinion.
"I know Jaylen. I know he doesn't mean that with any malice," Paul added. "He was just having a conversation."
Paul stood up for his client though, saying that the younger James has been strong on the defensive end in Summer League action. He believes the 19-year-old will find his way on offense, and that Bronny will use all the doubt surrounding his NBA career as motivation.
"Bronny is going to keep his head down and continue to work, use things as fuel," Paul said. "We see guys get drafted and get contracts and don't ever get another one. The NBA is a rollercoaster. You've got to be willing to put the work in every day to get better. I'm sure Bronny will do that and is committed to do that."