Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James talking about Rich Paul, a sports agent at Klutch Sports, didn’t become famous because of their relationship as featured on “60 Minutes.”
The two are old friends and have prompted people to attribute Rich Paul’s success to LeBron James, even though Klutch Sports Group is a powerful sports organization. Los Angeles-based sports agency James told Bill Whitaker’s “60 Minutes” that while giving Paul a chance, he also paved his own path.
“I’m disappointed to hear the news,” James said. “I didn’t give people a lot of chances, but he took it in a way that was beyond his imagination.”
“It’s really disappointing to hear that. I didn’t give people a lot of chances and he’s far exceeded his expectations.”
LeBron James talks about people saying Rich Paul’s success is only because of their close relationship 🗣
(pass @60 minutes)pic.twitter.com/Nj2IOrQwKs
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 9, 2023
James is entering his 21st and sixth season with the Lakers, where he is averaging 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game this season. He’s looking to bounce back after being swept by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Championship Series.
Rich Paul created Klutch from scratch, but are there still critics?
Paul said in a “60 Minutes” feature that although he has established a good foundation with sports agencies, ironically, there are still people who doubt him and believe that James is the only reason for his success.
“I had to build a company worth hundreds of millions of dollars for people to believe in me,” Paul said. “And there are still questions.”
Paul and Klutch Sports’ success is built on the support of many of the biggest names in basketball, including Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, Darius Garland, Zach LaVine, Dejounte Murray , De’Aaron Fox, etc. Klutch Sports’ business is not limited to basketball. They also have NFL clients such as Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, as well as DeVonta Smith, DeAndre Top receivers such as DeAndre Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr., etc.
Not to mention that the sports agency has clients in the WNBA and adds NIL (name, image and likeness) as a “field of expertise” for college athletes, according to its website.