#697: Rich Paul — The Power Broker and Superstar Agent Behind LeBron James, Draymond Green, and Others

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Rich Paul (@RichPaul4) is the CEO and founder of
KLUTCH Sports Group, the powerhouse agency representing some of
the biggest athletes across major professional sports. Paul
founded KLUTCH Sports in 2012 in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio,
where he forged a unique and personal approach to representing
top NBA talent—putting athletes first and empowering them to
build careers and brands on and off the court.


In 2019, KLUTCH Sports partnered with United Talent Agency (UTA).
Paul serves as UTA’s Head of Sports and is an agency partner, and
he was appointed to UTA’s board of directors in 2020. In 2019,
Paul was named GQ’s “Power Broker of the Year” and dubbed “The
King Maker” on the cover of Sports Illustrated. In 2021, TIME
recognized KLUTCH Sports on its first-ever list of TIME100 Most
Influential Companies, and Variety recently named Paul to their
“Variety500” list of the most influential business leaders
shaping the global media industry. Paul is also credited with
driving the reversal of the so-called “Rich Paul Rule,” which
would have banned agents without a college degree from
representing NCAA student athletes.


In 2021, Paul and three former Nike executives formed a company
called ADOPT, a creative agency focused on sport, wellness,
nutrition, tech, and other consumer-facing products. In 2022,
Paul joined the board of trustees of LACMA and the boards of
directors of Funko and Designer Brands Inc. In 2023, he joined
the board of directors of Live Nation. Paul is also a minority
partner of the SpringHill Company.


His new book is Lucky Me: A Memoir of Changing the
Odds.


Please enjoy!


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[08:04] The store where Rich's story began.


[10:30] The cover choice for Rich's memoir, Lucky Me.


[11:43] How Rich negotiated a lucrative free agency period.


[17:16] Street gambling as a youth.


[19:35] Good advice for avoiding bad deals.


[21:26] Meeting and creating an enduring relationship with LeBron
James.


[22:48] The influence of James Baldwin.


[24:53] Rich's experience with higher education and thoughts on
the so-called "Rich Paul rule."


[28:01] Best investments of time, energy, or money.


[30:25] How Rich beat out bigger competition to land clients.


[33:56] Helping aspiring pros establish the infrastructure they
need to succeed.


[37:52] Key ingredients for emotional support and stability.


[39:54] Driving home the importance of preparing for a career's
rainy days.


[42:42] LeBron James' ego.


[45:21] Why is Rich's book titled Lucky Me?


[47:04] When the entrepreneurial impulse leads to darkness.


[50:02] The Ernie Barnes piece in Rich's collection.


[51:12] Player empowerment.


[53:15] Rich's most influential confidence builders.


[55:28] What prompted Rich to write Lucky Me?


[59:02] Rich's billboard.


[59:58] Parting thoughts.


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Past guests on The Tim Ferriss
Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh
Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin
Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew
McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth
Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah
Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine
Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary
Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael
Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria
Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de
Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly
Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard
Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael
Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan
Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit
Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim
Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval
Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth
Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard
Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid
Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick
Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren
Aronofsky, Margaret Atwood, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter
Thiel, Dr. Gabor Maté, Anne Lamott, Sarah
Silverman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.


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