Rich Paul
Rich Paul | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 16, 1981 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Sports agent |
Rich Paul (born December 16, 1981) is an American sports agent based in Cleveland, Ohio. He founded Klutch Sports Group and represents a number of prominent NBA players, including Anthony Davis, Eric Bledsoe, John Wall, Ben Simmons, Draymond Green, Jusuf Nurkić, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, long-time friend LeBron James, and most recently, Trae Young, OG Anunoby, and Tyrese Maxey.
Early life
Paul used to live in a one-bedroom apartment above his father's store, R & J Confectionery, on East 125th and Arlington in Glenville, a neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland. He went to Benedictine, a Roman Catholic high school across the town. His father died of cancer in 1999.[1]
After graduating from high school, Paul was buying throwback jerseys from Atlanta and selling them out of his trunk in Cleveland. In 2002, he met LeBron James at the Akron–Canton Airport, where James was impressed by Paul's authentic Warren Moon throwback jersey.[2] The two exchanged contact information, and soon Paul had sold James a Magic Johnson Lakers jersey and a Joe Namath Rams jersey.[3]
Career
| Company type | Sports management company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Management |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founder | Rich Paul |
| Headquarters | Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Website | Official website |
In 2003, after the NBA draft, James asked Paul to be a part of his small inner circle, along with James' childhood friends Maverick Carter and Randy Mims.[2] Paul quickly obliged. He would later start working under Leon Rose, who had negotiated James' extension with the Cavaliers in 2006, at Creative Artists Agency. In 2012, Paul left Rose and CAA to start his own agency, Klutch Sports Group, and took James with him.[4]
Paul was included in 2020 Ebony Power 100 List.[5]
References
- ^ "An Agent of Change". New York Times. August 18, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
- ^ a b Broussard, Chris (December 25, 2012). "The chosen's one". ESPN.
- ^ "Meet Rich Paul, The Man Who Orchestrated LeBron's Return To Cleveland". Business Insider. July 14, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
- ^ "LeBron James Leaves CAA, Childhood Friend will Represent Him". International Business Times. September 13, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
- ^ #teamEBONY (February 26, 2020). "2020 EBONY POWER 100 LIST". EBONY. Retrieved November 10, 2020.