Growing Up in 1 Bedroom Apartment, Lebron James’ $120 Million Rich Buddy Divulges the Strange Way He Learned About Business

Rich Paul is the most powerful sports agent in the league. His journey to handling multi-millionaire deals began growing up in the violent streets of Cleaveland, battling poverty, and even selling drugs as a teenager to turn his life around. Rich is behind the biggest payout in the NBA worth $400 M for LeBron James. Just last summer alone, his agency Klutch sports landed $900M in deals for his NBA clients. 

Paul lived in a bedroom apartment, taking care of his drug-addicted mother. Despite the challenges, Rich was already making $4000-$5000 at the age of 14, just rolling dice in the open-air casinos. He is now estimated to be over $120M. While talking about his memoir “Lucky Me“, he revealed that he didn’t get a business education in a university classroom. Instead, he learned it from the ground up, working in his father’s store. 

Rich learned to do business in a candy store

Paul credits his business acumen to his father’s store, where he spent most of his childhood. “Growing up in my dad’s store, learning math in my dad’s store. Through a transaction or playing the lottery machine for someone. Learning customer service in my dad’s store. Learning marketing,” Paul recalls. He understood market demand by observing which candies sold out and which didn’t. 

These early experiences laid the foundations for his hyperawareness in business. As he said further, “When I’m sitting in a meeting with corporate giants like Nike, Puma, or Adidas, I can hold my own because I understand how to market a client. I know the importance of detail, and I can relate to my clients on a personal level.”

Paul’s journey may not have happened 

Fate brought together Paul with LeBron James in 2001. At that time, Rich was selling vintage jerseys and since then, the two formed a close bond. When James entered the NBA in 2003, he hired Paul as his right-hand man on an annual salary. Paul learned the ropes of the business while working with James and later founded Klutch Sports Group in 2012.

READ MORE: Despite Building $100,000,000+ Co With Lebron James and More, Rich Paul Feels People Don’t Take Him Seriously

Paul’s street business education has served him well. He has negotiated deals worth more than $4 billion for his clients. His bold approach and mastered negotiation skills have earned him respect. Although they have also frustrated many NBA executives, many even accusing him of killing ‘player loyalty’ as he maintains to prioritize his players’ interest over the franchise. 

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