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UPDATED: 4:00 p.m. ET, Jan. 2, 2024
Rich Paul might be the most influential person in all of sports outside of Lebron James and he can’t dunk to save his life. The man is literally taking over the NBA with a cell phone.
The mega-millionaire sports agent and his company KLUTCH Sports Group flexed their muscles during NBA’s 2023 free agency, helping a handful of star players secure the bag.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green agreed to a 4-year, $100 contract, putting the Warriors right back in championship contention.
Fred VanVleet surprised the world by signing a mega 3-year, $130 million contract with the Houston Rockets and Jerami Grant agreed to a five-year, $160 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Paul’s biggest client Lebron James even showed love to Paul on Twitter after his mega deals.
Rich Paul celebrated his 43rd birthday in style.
Rich Paul has alot to celebrate this year. On Dec. 16, the famous sports agent was spotted in West Hollywood partying with celebrity a-listers and his Grammy Award-winning girlfriend, Adele, for his 43rd birthday.
On Instagram, the sports businessman offered fans a sneak peek into his big birthday bash with a photo carousel that captured him riding in style in a fancy car. In one picture, Paul was spotted snuggled up with his boo Adele.
“Smile and enjoy life’s ride, the critics will always critique what’s unique,” Paul penned in the caption. “No need to invest in the camera’s flash it doesn’t last, just let the dice roll, the winners circle is colored in with losses and comebacks, the weight is carried on the back of the mentally strong and Gods chosen, there’s wise amongst the young and the old, I’ve gone up and down and around 43 times, and what I’ve learned most is NEVER FOLD!!!”
LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and a few other members of Paul’s sports management company Klutch Sports Group were in the building as he rang in his 43rd birthday.
He’ll be expanding his representation in the sports world.
According to Sports Illustrated (SI), in 2024, Paul will be expanding his representation to baseball. In December, Klutch Sports Group announced that the company had acquired Rep 1 Baseball, a full-service sports agency that represents MLB stars like Red Sox baseman Rafael Devers, Mets outfielder Starling Marte and Brewers pitcher Devin Williams.
Earlier this year, Klutch expanded its representation to the NFL after it acquired ELITE Athlete Management, SI noted. The star sports agency will now oversee the careers of 40 players from the league, including Jalen Hurts, DeAndre Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr.
Paul, who is a childhood friend of LeBron James, started as James’ agent in 2012, Now KLUTCH Sports represents some of the sport’s biggest names.
Over the past decade, Paul has grown well from beneath the shadow of Lebron and has turned himself into a master negotiator though his bold approach has frustrated many NBA executives.
Regardless, Paul doesn’t seem to be slowing up one bit as he looks to push for extensions for some of his top players this summer.
During the 2018-2019 NBA season Paul made it public that his client Anthony Davis had no interest in returning to the New Orleans Pelicans. This forced the Pelicans to have to trade Davis before his contract had expired. Bold moves like these are why Paul is driving the league crazy.
Recently Paul has come under scrutiny for his handling of Sixers star Ben Simmons. Simmons and Paul have both stated that Simmons wants out of Philly, but Simmons hasn’t shown up to play a game this season.
Sports insiders believe Rich Paul has been behind most of the decisions coming from the Simmons camp and calculated risks are where Paul shines the most. Here are things you might not know about Rich Paul, the most powerful man in sports.
Rich Paul’s Client list is flat-out impressive.
Check out Rich Paul’s full client list:
He’s Dates Singer Adele
On Sept. 18, Adele confirmed her relationship with Rich Paul by posting a photo on Instagram of herself smiling alongside her new boo. Recent rumors have surfaced about the couple after Adele postponed her residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. But Adele hit Instagram to shut the rumors down.
Love seems to be blossoming for Adele after a years-long contentious divorce battle with her ex-husband Simon Konecki, which was finalized back in March. Romance rumors involving the “Someone Like You” crooner began to surface after she was spotted on what appeared to be a hot date with big-time sports agent Rich Paul. The Sun obtained photos of the suspected lovebirds flirting while out at New York’s posh restaurant Cipriani. A week before, Rich and Adele were caught canoodling court-side at Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The pair couldn’t hide their burgeoning relationship for too long from inquisitive fans.
Adele has often referred to Paul as her “husband” in passing, but no word whether their duo are actually hitched. Either way, it seems like they are really enjoying their relationship together.
Source: Kevork Djansezian / Getty
He’s A Sports Agent Whose Signed Some Heavyweights In The NBA
The Cleveland, Ohio, native became a sports agent shortly after meeting his close friend and athlete LeBron James at the Akron-Canton Airport in 2002, Elle noted. The stars were waiting for a flight to Atlanta when James commented on a Houston Oilers jersey Paul was wearing at the time. The then 21-year-old was selling vintage sports jerseys out of the back of his truck when he met a seventeen-year-old James, who was already expected to head to the NBA as the No. 1 draft pick.
The two-sport fanatics’ friendship grew over time with Paul eventually landing a gig under Creative Artists Agency, where James was being managed by Leon Rose at the time. After years of learning the business of the game, Paul eventually opened up his own sports agency, Klutch Sports Group, in 2012.
Paul has negotiated some big-time sports contracts for a few notable names in the NBA including Ben Simmons, John Wall, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis among other players. He’s pretty good at his job too because according to Forbes, since launching the Klutch Sports Group, Paul has done nearly $1 billion dollars worth of savvy business deals. An NBA general manager once described Paul as “absolutely unrelenting in getting his players what they want, and he will use every means available to him to do that,” according to Women’s Health.
He’s Writing A Memoir
In March, Paul announced that he would release his first memoir titled Lucky Me. The coming-of-age story is reportedly being published by Roc Lit 101, the same publishing house spearheaded by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. Paul’s book touches on his upbringing in Cleveland, Ohio, his family struggles, and his meteoric rise to the top of the sports world.
“Lucky Me is more than my story,” Paul revealed in a press statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Lucky Me is the story of every young Black man who grew up like me. I want to use my story to uplift and inspire those who lived this and educate those who didn’t. I cannot tell you what it means to partner with my friend and mentor Jay-Z on this project. Lucky Me was the name of the book before I even spoke with Jay because his music was my life’s soundtrack.”
Life Hasn’t Always Been Easy For Paul
Paul went through a number of challenging setbacks during childhood. His mother struggled with drug abuse, leaving his grandmother and great-uncle the task of raising him. “I was never really angry, but I was definitely protective, and I was definitely sad in a lot of ways,” he told the New Yorker during an in-depth interview in March. “Because, as a kid, you see other kids and their experience with their parents, and you want the same.”
After his father, Rich Sr. died following a tough battle with intestinal cancer, Paul dropped out of school weeks later. “I always wanted to work,” he said. “But I still probably would have finished school if my father was alive. I never wanted to let him down.”
He Has Children
Paul has three children but has never been married, according to the New Yorker article.
He’s Got A Hefty Net Worth
The busy sports agent has amassed a fortune from his billion-dollar deals. As of 2021, Celebrity Net Worth estimates that Paul has grossed a whopping $100 million from some of his sports handlings. He doesn’t even have a college degree. According to The Sun, Paul’s hefty net worth doubled in 2019 after the NCAA ruled that they would no longer require agents to have a bachelor’s degree. The new protocol was dubbed The Rich Paul Rule.
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