Rich Paul

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, long-time friend LeBron James, and most recently, Trae Young.

Rich Paul
Born (1981-12-16) December 16, 1981
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationSports agent

Early life

Paul used to live in a one-bedroom apartment above his father's store, R & J Confectionery, on E. 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.[2] The two exchanged contact information, and soon Paul had sold James a Magic Johnson Lakers jersey and a Joe Namath Rams uniform.[3]

Career
Klutch Sports Group
Sports management company
IndustryManagement
Founded2012
FounderRich Paul
HeadquartersCleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
WebsiteOfficial 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]

References
  1. "An Agent of Change". New York Times. August 18, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  2. Broussard, Chris (December 25, 2012). "The chosen's one". ESPN.
  3. "Meet Rich Paul, The Man Who Orchestrated LeBron's Return To Cleveland". Business Insider. July 14, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  4. "LeBron James Leaves CAA, Childhood Friend will Represent Him". International Business Times. September 13, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
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