Rich Paul is a familiar name in NBA circles because he represents a boatload of notable players in the league, including the likes of Draymond Green, Trae Young, Zach Lavine, and Anthony Davis, among others. The founder of Klutch Sports, Paul has become a household name, thanks to his connection with LeBron James. The two share a special bond and have been associated with each other since Bron entered the league in 2003. In fact, Paul was influential in chauffeuring King James’ iconic return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014. One of the most successful agents in NBA history, the 41-year-old brokered contracts worth $600,000,000 this free agency for his clients in the league. However, two months ago, he revealed the pivotal reason behind James’ decision to sign the $100,000,000 contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers on the Rap Radar Podcast.
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In 2010, LeBron made what is now infamously referred to as “The Decision”. He decided it was time to leave the Cavaliers in search of greener pastures. This directed him toward South Beach to join the Miami Heat organization for a better shot at a title. Four seasons later, King James was back in Cleveland, signing a new $100,000,000 contract.
Rich Paul brokered LeBron James’ return to the Cleveland Cavaliers
In 2014, LeBron James made the decision to leave the Miami Heat. Having won two NBA Championships with them, many believed he would be a mainstay with the Heat. However, the King had other plans.
Agreeing to a $100,000,000 deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James made his return to Ohio, his home state. It was a huge move and one that saw LeBron redeem himself with the Cavs faithful. But what was the motivation behind his decision to return home? Well, as James’ agent Rich Paul explained, it came down to business and building LeBron’s legacy.
As history shows, the four-time NBA Champion’s return was well received, and he was able to solidify his legacy as a Cavaliers legend, delivering the franchise its first NBA Championship in 2016. Paul addressed the trade in the Rap Radar Podcast:
“It’s business man! It’s business! In my conversation with him…just like I have conversations with all the clients. There’s a right way to do things, there’s a wrong way to do things, and there’s things you wanna do, and there’s things that you should do. And, in this case, him going back to Cleveland was about legacy. It had nothing to do…I don’t care about…letter…this or that. I’m talking about, how does this affect your legacy!”
Seven years later, both Bron and Rich Paul have found even more success. The King now resides in LA playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. And, as for Paul, he’s had an incredible free agency thus far, negotiating over $600,000,000 worth of contracts for his clients, further building his empire of Klutch Sports.
Rich Paul has helped broker contracts worth hundreds of millions for his clients this summer
The success of LeBron James aside, Rich Paul is having quite the off-season with the Klutch Sports Group. With several of his clients hitting free agency earlier, Paul had his work cut out for him this summer, negotiating contract renewals and finding new homes for his players. But thanks to his connections in the league and the reputation he has built, the task did not prove to be too difficult.
So far, Paul has secured new contracts for many of his clients, including Draymond Green, Fred VanVleet, Jerami Grant, Jordan Clarkson, and Dejounte Murray. And, in some cases, the deals were quite lucrative, racking up well over $100 million.
Paul truly is a “super agent”. His work is something to marvel at, and with the off-season far from being over, he is sure to get even more business down the line.
