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 Anthony Davis, Eric Bledsoe, John Wall, Ben Simmons, Draymond Green, Jusuf Nurkić, long-time friend LeBron James, and most recently, Trae Young, OG Anunoby, and Lonzo Ball.
Rich Paul manages over 20 NBA players and is one of the most powerful agents in the world of sport. He has generated close to $1 billion in deals.
Paul used to live in a one-bedroom apartment above his father’s store, R & J Confectionery, on East 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.
After graduating from 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 jersey
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. 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.
Paul was also included in 2020 Ebony Power 100 List
