Most would credit LeBron James with inspiring what has come to be known as the player empowerment era of the NBA. James understood the power that he held as a franchise superstar and in the eyes of many, he alongside Klutch Sports co-founder Rich Paul, had no problem throwing that power around during his stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and even the Los Angeles Lakers.<\/p>\n
Many felt that Klutch Sports held some sway over the Lakers as Anthony Davis forced a trade to the franchise, and numerous other players represented by the agency have signed or extended with the team, including Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jarred Vanderbilt.<\/p>\n
But Paul is pushing back on this notion, saying on the latest episode of his \u201cGame Over\u201d podcast with Max Kellerman<\/a>, that Klutch Sports never ran the Lakers and if he did, he would\u2019ve made sure to be part of the recent sale of the franchise:<\/p>\n \u201cI know a lot of times people thought like, I\u2019d see people say, \u2018they don\u2019t run the Lakers.\u2019 We never ran the Lakers. That was never a thing. By the way if I ran the Lakers I would\u2019ve been part of the deal and got some of that moola. So I think people just say things just to say it on most platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul would add that he continues to have an excellent relationship with the Lakers, but not at the level that people think:<\/p>\n \u201cI had a great relationship and we had and continue to have a great partnership with the Lakers, but it\u2019s not like what you would think. And by the way, I don\u2019t want that responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n No matter what Paul or James says, they are never going to escape the belief in the eyes of the public that they have a lot of say in what goes on with whatever franchise he is a part of. At this point there have simply been too many reports to the contrary, and even a franchise as powerful as the Lakers seems likely to bend at some level to LeBron and Klutch Sports.<\/p>\n Regardless, the Lakers and James have been a successful partnership, winning another championship and keeping both team and player at the forefront of NBA conversations. And both are continuing to push for more success and another championship before everything is finished.<\/p>\n Rich Paul critical of Lakers\u2019 culture compared to Miami Heat <\/p>\n Paul has proven that he has no problems speaking his mind on any subject and even being critical of the Lakers overall recently. The Klutch Sports co-founder spoke on the overall culture of the Lakers, comparing it negatively to that of the Miami Heat<\/a>.<\/p>\n