NBA agent Rich Paul says white American athletes don't want a Black agent

Rich Paul has become one of the most powerful agents in the NBA, but he feels as a Black man he isn't able to get as many white clients.

 

"It's very difficult for me to represent a white player," Paul told Isaac Chotiner of the New Yorker.

 

"It just is. Look around. There’s very few," he added. "I represent a player from Bosnia. But, again, he’s international. He looks at it different."

 

Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic, a native of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is the lone white player in Paul's client list, which includes some of the biggest names in the NBA like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Draymond Green and Ben Simmons. 스포츠토토

 

Paul also denied rumors that James holds a secret stake in his agency Klutch Sports Group, which would be a clear violation of NBA rules.

 

LeBron James, Rich Paul address "The Decision"

The New Yorker piece discusses a number of topics as well, including the infamous "Decision," which which James seems to be at peace.

 

The Lakers star said he felt the televised press conference ended being a breakthrough moment for the player empowerment movement:

 

James himself is unapologetic and believes that “The Decision” helped other athletes take control of their careers. He told me, “You are always going to have people that are not going to agree with something that you do, but at the end of the day they can’t stop you, and can’t stop your path, and can’t stop your journey. I am happy that I was able to fall on the sword for the rest of these athletes, men and women, to be able to feel empowered.”

 

Paul did take issue with some of the backlash, though, most notably a Bill Simmons ESPN column blaming the fallout on James' lack of a father figure. Paul's response

 

“That’s why I don’t speak to Bill Simmons,” he said. “A lot of that has to do with race, too. He wouldn’t have said that about Larry Bird. He wouldn’t have said that about J. J. Redick. You get what I am saying? ‘The Decision’ ten years ago is the norm today. It’s what everyone wants to do. Kids won’t even decide where they go to college without it being a big production, and Bill Simmons says some s*** like that.”