LeBron James Says Rich Paul Is "H.I.M." Amid Free Agency Successes

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Celebrities At The Los Angeles Lakers Game
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 13: LeBron James talks to his agent Rich Paul during halftime of a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Staples Center on January 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
LeBron has nothing but love for his superstar agent.

The first night of NBA free agency was a good time to be signed with Rich Paul's Klutch Sports agency. Draymond Green got $100 million and Jerami Grant got $160 million. Meanwhile, Fred VanVleet signed the biggest-ever contract for an undrafted player, getting three years and $130 million from the Houston Rockets. In just a few hours, Paul had netted three of his biggest clients a combined $390 million. Elsewhere, another Paul client, Cam Reddish, joined the Lakers on a two-year deal with an undisclosed salary.

Paul, whose agency also represents the likes of LeBron, AD, and Zach LaVine, has become of the biggest power brokers in the NBA. With so much talent under his label, Paul can cause the rise and fall of basketball empires if he so wishes. But his free agency heroics have led to a shoutout from one of his prominent clients and biggest supporters.

LeBron Shouts Out Rich Paul

A few hours into free agency, LeBron dared anyone to challenge his close friend and agent. "And y'all still wanna question is Rich Paul is the H.I.M. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. It says a lot about you if you not feeling us. I told him less is more it's plenty of us." Of course, Paul and LeBron are likely going to be the biggest storyline of the 2024 offseason. With LeBron on an option year, his future could very well gine on his son. Per Brian Windhorst, "LeBron is much more concerned about playing with Bronny than winning another ring." If, as is likely, the Lakers don't draft Bronny, Paul could be central to moving LeBron out of LA.

However, Paul didn't engineer the biggest deals of the night. CAA Sports, the prominent legacy agency, landed the first $200 million deal of the night. Tyrese Haliburton re-signed with the Pacers for $260 million over five years. A few minutes, Tandem Sports + Entertainment announced that they had secured the first $200 million deal in Grizzlies history for their client, Desmond Bane. Despite this, Paul and Klutch Sports are absolutely leading the way in terms of cumulative success after night one. Follow all the latest sports news here at HotNewHipHop.

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About The Author
Ben Mock
Benjamin Mock (they/them) is a sports and culture writer working out of Philadelphia. Previously writing for the likes of Fixture, Dexerto, Fragster, and Jaxon, Ben has dedicated themselves to engaging and accessible articles about sports, esports, and internet culture. With a love for the weirder stories, you never quite know what to expect from their work.
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