Meet Rich Paul, the super agent of Lebron, Odell Beckham, Anthony Davis and boyfriend of Adele
With their marital status now confirmed, it’s time to take a look at the man in Adele’s life, the agent who calls LeBron James a client, Rich Paul.
For quite some time fans of the British songbird have been intrigued by the relationship she has with the American super agent, but who is Rich Paul and how did he get to where he is today, the very pinnacle of the sports agency world?
Adele and Rich Paul are married
Over the past months, many have wondered as to the actual status of the relationship between Adele and Rich Paul. After all, both have hinted on numerous occasions as to what the real deal actually is. During her Las Vegas residency, for example, the ‘Hello’ singer stated directly that she is married, while Paul dodged questions about their marital status in recent interviews. Yet, the speculation now seems to be over with the star singer recently making things crystal clear. While attending a recent comedy set of her close friend Alan Carr, the comedian asked the audience whether anyone present had tied the knot recently, to which the 35-year-old singer shouted, “I did.”
A chance meeting with LeBron James started it all
While he’s been much more reserved when facing questions about the lady he loves, it’s quite clear that Paul is not coy at all when it comes to the world of business and the position that he has established for himself in it. At 41 years old he is without doubt one of the most significant men in the business of American professional sports, a fact that is made all the more impressive when one considers that he started by selling vintage sports jerseys out of the trunk of his car.
Born on December 16th, 1981, Rich Paul grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. An avid sports and fashion fan, Paul began his entrepreneurial adventure - those above-mentioned vintage jerseys - after graduating from high school. Of course, things would truly take a turn when in 2002 he met by chance a fellow Ohio native at the Ackron-Canton Airport, that individual was LeBron James. As fate would have it, James was taken by a vintage jersey of Warren Moon, the former Minnesota Vikings star quarterback. After the transaction in which he ended up selling James two jerseys, the pair exchanged contacts, and a friendship was born. During an ESPN interview back in 2012, Paul spoke of the meeting and the fact that what came later would never have happened if not for him wearing a sports jersey that day. “If I don’t have on that jersey, we don’t have a conversation.”
How Klutch Sports Group was formed
Once Paul and James became closer, it was only a matter of time before he got his start professionally, as he began to work under sports executive Leon Rose at CAA - a major agency - in 2006. Just six years later with experience under his belt and a strong understanding with James, he left CAA to form his own agency, Klutch Sports Group, taking James with him. Needless to say, it didn’t take long before he became known as one of the most famous agents in sports, brokering a number of high-profile deals for various athletes. Consider for a moment that just last year, Forbes ranked him at 4th on its list of most powerful sports agents, with his agency estimated to be worth $1.4 billion.
Rich Paul’s clients
When it comes to Rich Paul and his client list, there are two sides to the count. Firstly there is the fact that within his portfolio he holds some of the biggest names in the NBA today as well as the NFL, and has made them incredibly wealthy since taking them on. From the above-mentioned LeBron James who will earn $47.6 million in salary this season, to Lakers teammate Anthony Davis who will earn a crisp $40 million this year, it’s clear that Paul has done well both for himself and those he works with. Of course, there are also the likes of Fred VanVleet, Zach LaVine, De’Aaron Fox, Draymond Green, and Odell Beckham Jr. of the NFL to name a few on the list. Yet, the flipside of the coin is that Paul’s success and that of his clients has increasingly come in for criticism as fans, teams, and front offices accuse him of being the architect of an era in which players are increasing in power. Regardless of where you stand, what remains clear is that Rich Paul is at the top of the game and isn’t likely to move from that spot anytime soon.