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NBA, Basketball Herren, USA Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers Feb 7, 2023 Los Angeles, California, USA Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James 6 hugs agent Rich Paul after breaking the all-time scoring record in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Los Angeles Crypto.com Arena California USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGaryxA.xVasquezx 20230207_lbm_sv5_055
![](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/imago1023993847h.jpg?width=600)
via Imago
NBA, Basketball Herren, USA Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers Feb 7, 2023 Los Angeles, California, USA Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James 6 hugs agent Rich Paul after breaking the all-time scoring record in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Los Angeles Crypto.com Arena California USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGaryxA.xVasquezx 20230207_lbm_sv5_055
Rich Paul is one of the most famous men in the NBA world today. His company, Klutch Sports Group, has some big names on its roster. This includes Lebron James, Jalen Hurts, Odell Beckham Jr., Anthony Davis, Chase Young and DeAndre Hopkins. He is now considered one of the most powerful agents in sports.
But this was not always the case. At one point, the college dropout was ridiculed for his background. Many believed that James signing with Paul would be disastrous to his career. The two go way back to the early 2000s when they bonded over their shared interest in vintage jerseys. LeBron wanted to buy one and Paul just happened to be a seller. Later, their friendship grew as James joined the NBA.
Having a client like LeBron James is challenging
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In 2010, LeBron left the Creative Artists Agency and helped Paul set up Klutch. This was not liked by many, with one even saying, “You can’t give a dentist a scalpel and expect him to do heart surgery.” This was owing to the fact that Paul had no history of being an agent and also did not graduate college. But now, the music has changed to “Oh. He has LeBron James, the greatest player in the NBA. So things must be easy and people trust him quickly.”
Rich was asked about this by Shannon Sharpe during his latest chat on Club Shay Shay. Paul called “BS” on it and said it goes the other way. He explained, “It’s more challenging for me… If they have it, … It’s a different dynamic. You can use your client list and it is to your benefit. But when it is me and my client list, it is a detriment with that.”
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Paul says he is not here to compete
The agent clarified further that it is difficult because he comes from a place where people think there will be only one king. “Our environment teaches us to always be competitive. There’s no collaboration… no communication. There is no connectivity”, he said.
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Rich also added that he has lost clients because of this mentality of the people. He claims that all he wants to do is to help people. Competing with others to be the best agents is not his goal, he says, as he only wants to empower the athletes. He drew an analogy to his younger days when he worked at his father’s shop selling candy. He pointed out that many people would not buy from the shop because they didn’t want little Paul to be wearing Jordans. This competitive mindset of people has been against him most of the time, he added, not to his favor.
Watch this Story : Paying Rich Paul $2000/Month Just for Sticking Around, LeBron James Shocked Best Friends Mother With a 5-Figure Cheque