Rich Paul Discusses Racial Bias Amongst White American Athletes

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Rich Paul
Rich Paul recently told the New Yorker that there are many white American athletes who don't want a black agent.

Rich Paul is one of the best agents in the entire NBA and his client list is beyond impressive. Klutch Sports has grown into one of the biggest entities in the sports agency world and fans have certainly taken notice. Over the years, there have been rumors concerning Klutch's influence over the sport, although Paul has made sure to note that he does everything the right way, and that he is simply looking into the best interests of his clients.

Despite being one of the most well-known agents out there, Paul has noted that there have been issues trying to attract white clients. Paul claims that white American athletes have a bit of a bias when it comes to who represents them. As it stands, Paul has one white client in Jusuf Nurkic, although as Paul noted, Nurkic is European and simply has a different mindset.

Rich Paul Discusses Racial Bias Amongst White American Athletes
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"It's very difficult for me to represent a white player," Paul said. "It just is. Look around. There’s very few. I represent a player from Bosnia. But, again, he’s international. He looks at it different." Paul then went on to say that some players just don't want a black agent, even though they would never actually allude to that kind of bias. "They’ll never say that," he said. "But they don't. I think there's always going to be that cloud over America."

American sports have suffered from diversity issues when it comes to both team executives and agents over the years. While Paul is a case of someone who has been able to overcome and be successful, there is no denying that biases still exist and that it could take quite sometime before attitudes change.

Rich Paul Discusses Racial Bias Amongst White American Athletes
Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images

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About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!
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