Rich Paul dives into development of LeBron James relationship
10/16/2024 02:11 AM
Hoops fans following the greatness of LeBron James cannot tell the full story without including the partnership with Rich Paul. The pair of industry power brokers have known each other for over two decades. The journey that started with the Cleveland Cavaliers and brought a couple of titles to the Miami Heat is still going. Thankfully, the family dream came true with Bronny James Jr. and the attention-grabbing Los Angeles Lakers.
LeBron’s legacy is more than just wins, losses, and points scored. Paul reflected on what made the partnership work while on Carmelo Anthony and Kid Mero’s “7 PM In Brooklyn” show.
“Anyways, the partnership. We've all grown as men. We were kids and we've grown,” Paul began. “And I told him [LeBron] 20 years ago, we can’t let the industry do what I know they like to do to us, right? That shit is corny. (There should be) no beef in sports among millionaires playing a game.”
Paul emphasized the importance of avoiding unnecessary conflicts in sports, especially among millionaires trying to build a brand worth million-dollar collaborations.
“They love to play and make you believe that their value is more than it actually is. They're going to drive a wedge amongst competition so guys don’t communicate,” explained Paul. “So that way you don’t collaborate and then you don’t compound together for their benefit.”
The James-Paul relationship has evolved significantly over the years. Paul recalled a well-known story about how he was positioned to be a leading voice in LeBron Enterprises.
“Our relationship has evolved a ton from someone who gave me an opportunity just in general, to someone who believed that I actually could represent them,” recalled Paul. “I didn’t start representing him [LeBron] until his ninth year in the league, to business partners.”
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LeBron’s coaches know what Paul found out. Sometimes that meant having difficult conversations.
“He supported me in everything I do, and think about it, I’ve gone against the grain in certain things, but the support is still there because he knows the entrepreneur at heart,” Paul said. “They trust me and they trust my business acumen and they trust that I’m also going to give it the real no matter what, if it’s got to be the hard conversation, it’s going to be the hard conversation.”
“With LJ [LeBron James] we brothers, we don’t have the same moms, but we might as well at this point,” continued Paul. “People try to tell you or try to show you that you should be thankful for the opportunity that was given by shortchanging you for your added value, for your expertise. We don’t play those games with each other. All we’ve ever tried to do was lead by example and we’ll continue to do that. The people that pick up, they pick up those that don’t, they get left behind. That’s just how it works.”
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