NBA – Former champion sounds off on LeBron’s agent: «He blackmailed them»

Par Joël Pütz | Journaliste sportif

Rich Paul, who has been at LeBron James’s side since the beginning of his career, is arguably the most influential player agent in the basketball world. But a former champion recently accused him of using dirty tricks to destabilize a franchise…

LeBron James isn’t just an exceptional player or a savvy businessman; we’re talking about a brand built around the Lakers star. This also includes his close circle, including his longtime business partner Maverick Carter, and, most importantly, his agent, Rich Paul.

Since the Chosen One made his debut in the league in 2003, more than two decades ago, he has been a constant presence at his side. And his influence isn’t limited to the four-time NBA champion. As the head of Klutch Sports, Paul represents a multitude of basketball stars as well as athletes from other major American leagues. A true empire.

Peja Stojakovic spills the beans on Rich Paul’s Kings shenanigans

Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, Tyrese Maxey, Aaron Gordon: the agent’s portfolio includes some big-name clients, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. But Paul is far from unanimous in the NBA, and even less so in Sacramento. Former player Peja Stojakovic didn’t spare him during his appearance on the Mozzart podcast:

I still believe Sacramento has good players despite them trading Fox. It seems there was a directive from his agent, Rich Paul, who played a key role and blackmailed the teams on which player was supposed to get traded where. He brought Fox to the Spurs and Zach LaVine who is his player, brought him to Sacramento.

As a reminder, Fox left the Kings in February, having spent his entire career with the franchise. However, Stojakovic accuses Rich Paul of forcing Sac-Town’s hand in order to send the point guard to San Antonio, regardless of the compensation. The he pushed the management into acquiring Zach LaVine, even though his arrival was not necessarily in their interest… which posed no problem for the agent according to the former champion:

By doing this, he limited Sacramento from a business standpoint, stating that they get a bit more from this trade with Fox if they had the same discussion with some other teams in the NBA.

It’s impossible to confirm this, of course, but it would say a lot about the power that LeBron’s great friend wields behind the scenes in the league.