Rich Paul told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne this week that LeBron James and Bronny James are “not a package deal,” and the easy read is that Bronny wasn’t good enough to justify a roster spot in Philadelphia. That’s the wrong read. LeBron spent two years selling a story about needing to play alongside his son, and he dropped it the second a real contender actually called.
LeBron signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the 76ers this month and called it his last decision. Rich Paul later confirmed Jaylen Brown’s arrival via trade and Tyrese Maxey’s lobbying were the deciding factors, not the extra money he could’ve made staying in L.A.
Not once did he mention his son.
Paul, who represents both James men, was blunt about it in a conversation with Shelburne. There’s no plan, no request, nothing in motion for Bronny to follow his father east.
https://x.com/ramonashelburne/status/2080724717162639462
That’s the sentence that actually ends something. For two years, LeBron got to be the devoted father in every press conference and every “legacy” think piece, without ever having to trade a real shot at a title for it. The moment LeBron’s move to Philadelphia looked like a genuine contender’s roster, the “package deal” story quietly became a story about separate paths, fast enough that nobody had time to ask what changed.
Nothing changed.
The framing was just never load-bearing.
The Lakers fully guaranteed Bronny’s $2.3 million salary for next season before LeBron’s free agency was even resolved — what it means for Bronny to stay in Los Angeles got decided by other people, on their timeline, not his. He played 42 games last season, up from 27 as a rookie, averaging 2.9 points, and he’s expected to compete for backcourt minutes under new head coach JJ Redick this fall. Staff around the building reportedly have a real fondness for him, and that had nothing to do with impressing his father.
There’s already a $2.5 million team option for 2027-28 sitting on the books, a separate and later call the front office hasn’t had to make yet. Whatever happens with that decision, it isn’t going to hinge on which arena LeBron plays in.
I’ve disliked the Lakers as an organization since before I could explain why, and even I think it’s a rough deal that the son inherited the spotlight and none of the leverage. He’s running it back on the exact roster his father just walked away from, center of a storyline he never asked to be the center of.
Draymond Green spent his summer in a similar limbo, declining his own option to stay flexible in case LeBron picked the Warriors — a bet that only paid off once LeBron chose Philadelphia and Golden State re-signed him on its own terms. LeBron’s two-year audition for father of the year put other people’s actual games and money on hold, and none of that limbo ever touched his own decision-making.
Bronny’s still paying for a story that was never his.
