Rich Paul
| Rich Paul | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 16, 1981 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Sports agent |
Rich Paul is an American sports agent based in Cleveland, Ohio. He founded Klutch Sports Group and represents a number of prominent NBA players, including Eric Bledsoe, John Wall, Ben Simmons, and long-time friend LeBron James.
Early life
Paul used to live in a one-bedroom apartment above his father's store, R & J Confectionary, on 125th and Arlington in Glenville, a neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland. He went to Benedictine, a predominantly white Roman Catholic high school across the town. His father died of cancer in 1999.[1]
After graduating high school, Paul was buying throwback jerseys from Atlanta and selling them out of his trunk in Cleveland. In 2002 he met LeBron James, who was impressed by Paul's authentic Warren Moon throwback jersey, at the Akron-Canton Airport; both on their way to Atlanta, Paul to restock and LeBron to the Final Four. The two exchanged contact information, and soon Paul hooked James up with a Magic Johnson Lakers jersey and a Joe Namath Rams uniform.[2]
Career
| 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, LeBron hired Paul to be a part of his small inner-circle. He would later start working under Leon Rose, who had negotiated LeBron's extension with the Cavs in 2006, at Creative Artists Agency. In 2012, Paul left Rose and CAA to start his own agency, Klutch Sports Group, and took LeBron with him.[3]
Clients
Basketball
- LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers
- J.R. Smith, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Eric Bledsoe, Phoenix Suns
- Norris Cole, New Orleans Pelicans
- Cory Joseph, Toronto Raptors
- Trey Lyles, Utah Jazz
- Ben McLemore, Sacramento Kings
- Kosta Koufos, Sacramento Kings
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Detroit Pistons
- John Wall, Washington Wizards
- Montrezl Harrell, Houston Rockets
- Earl Watson, Phoenix Suns
- Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
- Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs
References
- ↑ "An Agent of Change". New York Times. 2014-08-18. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
- ↑ "Meet Rich Paul, The Man Who Orchestrated LeBron's Return To Cleveland". Business Insider. 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
- ↑ "LeBron James Leaves CAA, Childhood Friend will Represent Him". International Business Times. 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2014-08-18.