Rich Paul
Rich Paul | |
---|---|
Born |
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | December 16, 1981
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, Anthony Davis, 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 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 at the Akron-Canton Airport, where James was impressed by Paul's authentic Warren Moon throwback jersey. The two exchanged contact information, and soon Paul had sold James 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, Los Angeles Lakers
- Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
- Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers
- J.R. Smith, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Eric Bledsoe, Milwaukee Bucks
- Norris Cole, Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C.
- Cory Joseph, Indiana Pacers
- Trey Lyles, Denver Nuggets
- Ben McLemore, Sacramento Kings
- Kosta Koufos, Sacramento Kings
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Los Angeles Lakers
- John Wall, Washington Wizards
- Montrezl Harrell, Los Angeles Clippers
- Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
- Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs
- Shabazz Muhammad, Milwaukee Bucks
- Terrance Ferguson, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Nerlens Noel, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Miles Bridges, Charlotte Hornets
- Marcus Morris, Boston Celtics
- Markieff Morris, Washington Wizards
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.