The accusations against NBA power agent and Klutch Sports mogul Rich Paul have brought to light some of the industry's inner workings. Paul, who is famously associated with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, was challenged by New York Knicks big man Nerlens Noel over his alleged mismanagement and false promises that led to losses claimed amounting to $58 million.
With the legal case dominating the news cycle, a previously written article from The Athletic in 2020 has come back to relevance for its portrayal of how Rich Paul wields so much power. According to an anonymous agent, it's Lakers star LeBron James who's truly using his influence to help Paul nab clients – including Nerlens Noel.
Via Ben Standig and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic:
“The worst thing that LeBron is doing is forcing this power with Rich Paul and what that is, in terms of, he’s a player, but he has prowess in the media space,” an anonymous agent said of the Lakers star. “..now that they’ve jumped into the agent game, which the reality is, it’s illegal for a player, particularly if you’re in the state of California, to be licensed to represent talent.”
“Now I know it’s this façade that it’s Rich Paul, but it’s really LeBron who recruits for Rich Paul. So it’s almost like they’re trying to control AAU at the NBA level.”
The article features correspondences from a group of NBA agents speaking under anonymity. The accusations on the inner power structure behind Rich Paul's influence is pretty damning, if true. But one interesting aspect claimed by the agent was that of the “massive casualties” that took a hit allegedly because they were under the “mismanagement” of Paul.
“So, the fact that LeBron recruits and has empowered Rich Paul, and I get it, on the top guys, but if someone does their research, a lot of these guys have really gotten screwed, a large number of them, by mismanagement.”
“There’s at least five or six massive casualties. Nobody is saying anything and you can even say that the union should take some responsibility because they represent all of the players, not just LeBron James. Because this is anonymous. I hope you have the courage to put this out there, because nobody is talking about this but this is the reality, and if you ask any other agent what I just said, they would all agree.”
The reason Rich Paul holds so much leverage, according to said agent, lies in the fact that he can serve as the media gatekeeper to Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He even specifically mentions Paul's accuser, Nerlens Noel, by name in an interview that was almost a full year prior to any legal action being made public.
“They’ve been able to leverage KCP, two or three years in a row because they have the power and they’re forcing it down their throat. Nerlens Noel. There are four or five of them that have suffered millions of dollars from mismanagement but nobody has the courage to support it, because all the media wants access to LeBron. They want access to AD.”
Aside from Noel, names like Shabazz Muhammed and Norris Cole were also mentioned as some who were allegedly not given adequate attention from Rich Paul and Klutch Sports, which he claims resulted in them losing out on a big pay day as well. Beyond LeBron James, the roster of the agency's star clients grows by the day, with the reported listed already extending long enough to have to scroll down.
“That’s the only disappointment is LeBron has leveraged his popularity with young players for seducing them for Klutch and it’s not serving all the players well. But for the players that are suffering, there’s no repercussions. And that’s the only bad part with LeBron. Everything else is great. It’s commendable. It’s progressive. I love it. The part that he’s pushed Rich Paul in this position and these naïve basketball players, that’s pretty egregiously irresponsible.”
Despite all the drama from the past week, the situation apparently hasn't impacted Rich Paul or Klutch Sports' reputation too much since they just landed another big fish in Chicago Bulls franchise player – Zach LaVine.
Zach LaVine is expected to sign with Klutch Sports Group, according to a league source.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) August 28, 2021
It's nearly impossible to verify the veracity of the accusations hurled towards Rich Paul, Klutch Sports, and LeBron James himself. But clearly some fans and players, like Nerlens Noel, now see things from a different perspective.
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