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Over the past few years, Rich Paul has emerged as one of the biggest names in the NBA and one of the best sports agents in the world.
Rich Paul is a sports agent who created his own sports management company known as Klutch Sports. Paul founded Klutch Sports in 2012 after working under Leon Rose and the Creative Artists Agency (CAA).
Since then, Paul has signed numerous clients and his company has become a household name and more people are joining the company as time progresses.
How Rich Paul started his illustrious career as a sports agent?
Some of his biggest clients are NBA superstars, which bring more credibility to his company. Rich Paul is a longtime friend of LeBron James. He went from selling vintage jerseys from the trunk of his car to emerging as one of the most powerful agents in all of sports.
After they began their friendship in the early 2000s, James brought Paul into his inner circle. Since setting up Klutch Sports Group in 2012, Rich Paul has gone on to broker over $1 billion worth of contracts. He currently has the second-largest stable of clients in the NBA behind only Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management.
With that being said, here are the top five NBA players represented by Rich Paul:
#5 - De'Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings)
De'Aaron Fox has emerged as a superstar following the Sacramento Kings' impressive 2022/23 campaign.
With Fox leading the way, the Kings reached the postseason after 16 years and finished third in the Western Conference. Despite losing to the Golden State Warriors in seven games, they showed they have a bright future and we expect them to remain on top of the West next year.
During his breakout year, De'Aaron Fox changed his management and joined Klutch Sports and Rich Paul. He explained his decision by saying that it will help him better understand the business of basketall:
"When you're an athlete who has any notoriety and you make a major change, it's going to circulate and people are going to speculate. But for me, I love being in Sacramento.
"This move had nothing to do with wanting to be traded or wanting to move on. This has more to do with myself and the business of basketball, and I feel like they're able to help me in ways that I've never been able to be helped before. It was really a level up."
De'Aaron Fox has three years left in his current contract with the Kings and is set to earn $105M.
#4 - Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)
In 2022, Draymond Green surprisingly signed with Klutch Sports. Green joined the company as he said he grew close with Rich Paul.
In an interview with Marc Spears of The Undefeated, Green explained his move and praised the company and Rich Paul, calling Klutch Sports a 'cutting-edge company'.
Under Rich Paul, Draymond Green returned to the Warriors on a new, lucrative deal, worth a total of $100M for four years.
#3 - Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls)
Zach LaVine joined Klutch Sports in 2021 and this move was considered by many as a sign that he wants to leave the Chicago Bulls. However, LaVine addresseed the situation in an interview with ESPN's Brian Windhorst detailing it was a move to grow his brand:
“For me, it was more of a leadership part where I needed to go and align myself with a brand I really wanted to be with. I just wanted to continue to grow my brand and Klutch aligned with me perfectly. I can't account for what other people's opinions might be. I made this decision for me and my family moving forward.”
Zach LaVine eventually got the supermax deal he wanted from Chicago. LaVine has four years and $177M left on his contract, with the final year being a palyer option worth $48.9M.
#2 - Anthony Davis (LA Lakers)
Anthony Davis is one of Rich Paul's biggest clients. The superstar big man is one of the best players in the league and the co-leader of the LA Lakers, alongside LeBron James.
He joined Klutch Sports a few years ago and Paul was the one who facilitated Davis' trade from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Lakers.
The Lakers parted ways with young players such as Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram to acquire Davis and led the Lakers to the 2020 NBA championship at the Orlando Bubble.
Anthony Davis has two years and $83M left on his contract with the Lakers, with the final year being a palyer option worth $43M.
#1 - LeBron James (LA Lakers)
Rich Paul became LeBron James' agent in 2012 after James left his previous agent (Leon Rose) earlier that year.
James and Paul were friends before they joined forces. They kept in touch, and Paul became one of James' closest friends. Since then, Paul started Klutch Sports and manages not only (his good friend) James but other players throughout the league.
Rich Paul was LeBron James' agent during his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers and his move to the LA Lakers in 2018.
James is under a two-year deal with the Lakers and is set to earn $47.6M next year. He has a player option for 2024/25, worth $51.4M.
