Rich Paul’s influence in the world of basketball has grown considerably over the last few years. He’s gone from being, most notably, the agent for LeBron James to the head of Klutch Sports, which has slowly but surely put together quite the roster of talent and asserted its influence on the game.
Now, Paul’s influence will spread beyond basketball thanks to a new partnership between Klutch and United Talent Agency. According to the New York Times and The Athletic, Paul will join forces with UTA and head up its new sports division. The new arrangement will not only give him the opportunity to pursue partnerships in other sports, but as he explained, it gives him the opportunity to do even more for those he represents.
“This puts me in direct competition with the largest agencies in the world,” Paul told Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “There is nothing we cannot do for an athlete. If a guy wants to write a book, great. If he wants to be a ‘Fortnite’ champion, great. If he wants to act, great. He wants to buy a surfboard company? Fantastic. There is nothing we cannot do for the modern athlete.”
Unsurprisingly, James responded to the news by taking to social media and congratulating his longtime friend.
Proud of you my brother!! You have no idea how much so. Continue to change the narrative & push the culture! So many kids in our community look up to you for inspiration as well. You are setting a great example of hard work, dedication and taking an opportunity to the max! 🙏🏾❤️✊🏾 https://t.co/M9yn5MJ4Hd
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 17, 2019
As for how Klutch Sports is impacted by all of this, UTA chief executive Jeremy Zimmer told Marc Stein of the Times that his company took “a significant stake in Klutch, but Rich retains very substantial controls because we want it to be his business and we love what he’s doing.”
