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Klutch Sports Group

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Klutch Sports Group
IndustrySports management
Founded2012
FounderRich Paul
HeadquartersLos Angeles, California, U.S.[1]
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Number of employees
100 (2024)
Divisions
  • Klutch Baseball
  • Basketball – men
  • Basketball – women
  • Football
  • Klutch Global Football (soccer)
  • Global Partnerships
Websiteunitedtalent.com/klutch

Klutch Sports Group is an American sports agency based in Los Angeles, California, founded by sports agent and chief executive officer Rich Paul. Klutch Sports Group represents nearly 200 players in the NBA, NFL, MLB, and WNBA. It has offices in Atlanta, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Nashville, and New York. In mid-2024, Klutch Sports Group began expanding into Europe following the takeover of a major German soccer agency.

History

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Klutch Sports Group was founded in 2012 by Rich Paul.[2][3][4]

In 2003, after the NBA draft, LeBron James asked Paul to be a part of his small inner circle, along with James' childhood friends Maverick Carter and Randy Mims.[4] Paul quickly obliged. He would later start working under Leon Rose, who had negotiated James' extension with the Cavaliers in 2006, at Creative Artists Agency (CAA).[5]

In 2012, Paul left Rose and Creative Artists Agency to start his own agency, Klutch Sports Group. His first clients were James, Eric Bledsoe, Tristan Thompson, and Cory Joseph.[5]

In 2013, Paul enlisted agent and attorney Mark Termini to run the NBA contract negotiations for Klutch.[6][7]

In 2016 and 2017, Fara Leff was already known as Klutch Sports Group's chief operating officer (COO).[8][9]

In 2019, United Talent Agency (UTA) made a "significant" financial investment in Klutch Sports Group. According to Jeremy Zimmer, chief executive officer (CEO) of United Talent Agency, Paul "maintains control as operator of his business".[10] United Talent Agency asked Paul to run its sports division through a partnership with Klutch and expand to represent NFL and WNBA players.[11]

In 2020, Paul accepted a position on United Talent Agency's board of directors.[12][13] Paul also expanded its clientele at Klutch to include the National Football League (NFL) by hiring former player Damarius Bilbo.[14] Bilbo was chosen to lead the Football division of Klutch Sports Group.[15] In April 2020, Klutch Sports Group acquired Tidal Sports Group from San Clemente, marking its "entry into baseball representation". Tidal Sports Group founder Brodie Scoffield was named to lead Klutch's Baseball division.[1] Also, in 2020, NBA agent Omar Wilkes became head of the Basketball division of Klutch Sports.[16] By the conclusion of their agreement in 2020, Termini had negotiated $1.4 billion in NBA contracts for Klutch Sports clients from 2014 through 2019.[17]

In 2021, Klutch Sports Group was named among Time magazine's 100 Most Influential Companies.[18] That same year, Klutch hired sports agent Nicole Lynn as president of Football operations.[19]

In February 2020, Klutch Sports Group launched its Women's Basketball division, led soon after by Jade-Li English.[20][21]

In the summer of 2023, Klutch Sports Group contracts worth almost $900 million were concluded just for Paul's NBA clients.[22] In December 2023, Klutch acquired the baseball agency, Rep 1.[23] Rep 1 CEO Chris Koras was named head of Klutch Baseball.[24] By October 2023, Klutch Sports Group had nearly 200 professional athletes[25] on its NBA, WNBA, NFL, and MLB rosters.[26]

Klutch Sports Group had more than 100 employees as of mid-2024, with offices in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York,[22] and Cleveland.[27] In June 2024, United Talent Agency acquired Germany's biggest soccer player agency, Representatives Of Outstanding Footballers (ROOF), and integrated it into Klutch Sports Group.[28] The soccer agency, which has offices in Munich, London, and Madrid, represents 150 clients in the "Big Five" European leagues: the German Bundesliga, English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, French Ligue 1, and Italian Serie A. Björn Bezemer, co-founder and managing director of Representatives Of Outstanding Footballers, was appointed head of Klutch Global Football.[26] In early September 2024, it was announced that New York City FC (soccer) had tapped Klutch Sports Group to coordinate partnerships for the Stadium Experience Center, a new 25,000-seat soccer-specific stadium in Queens, New York, slated to open in 2027. Klutch, through its Global Partnerships division, will sell NYCFC's primary sponsorship program, the "Founding Partnerships", to interested brands.[29]

Athletes

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NBA

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Klutch Sports represents the following NBA athletes:

NFL

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Klutch Sports has represented the following NFL athletes, either currently or formerly:

NCAA Men's Basketball

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Klutch Sports represents the following men's college basketball athletes:

NCAA Women's Basketball

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References

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  1. ^ a b Selbe, Nick (April 3, 2020). "Klutch Sports Acquires Tidal Sports as New Baseball Branch". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  2. ^ Vorkunov, Mike. "Rich Paul, KSP sued for $4.9 million over alleged breach of contract". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  3. ^ "Klutch CEO Rich Paul on the changing business of sports". Washington Post. October 10, 2023. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Broussard, Chris (December 25, 2012). "The chosen's one". ESPN.
  5. ^ a b "LeBron James Leaves CAA, Childhood Friend will Represent Him". International Business Times. September 13, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  6. ^ Zillgitt, Jeff (January 15, 2013). "LeBron James rep Klutch Sports adds top agent Termini". USA Today. USA Today. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  7. ^ Price, S.L. (June 12, 2019). "The King Maker: Why Rich Paul Will Own the NBA Summer". SI.com. SI.com. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  8. ^ Brodesser-Akner, Taffy (June 22, 2016). "Ben Simmons' Master Plan". CBS News. Archived from the original on November 26, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  9. ^ "Still No Timetable For Ben Simmons' Debut". ESPN.com. February 14, 2017. Archived from the original on September 14, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  10. ^ Vardon, Joe (July 17, 2019). "Way past LeBron: Global talent firm UTA buys into Rich Paul's Klutch Sports Group with eye toward major expansion". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 4, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  11. ^ Skipper, Clay (December 16, 2019). "Rich Paul Is Rewriting the Rulebook". GQ. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  12. ^ McNary, Dave (July 27, 2020). "LeBron James' Agent Rich Paul Named to UTA Board". Variety. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  13. ^ Stein, Marc (July 17, 2019). "LeBron James's Agent, Rich Paul, Starts a Sports Division at a Hollywood Firm (Published 2019)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  14. ^ Skipper, Clay (January 14, 2020). "Meet the Super-Agent Who Rich Paul's Betting on to Take Over the NFL". GQ. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  15. ^ Hipes, Patrick (January 14, 2020). "UTA-Backed Klutch Sports Group To Tackle Football With Revolution Agency Buy". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  16. ^ Wojnarowski, Adrian (June 24, 2020). "Agent Omar Wilkes to be Klutch Sports' head of basketball, allowing Rich Paul to expand reach". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  17. ^ Stein, Marc [@TheSteinLine] (February 19, 2021). "Mark Termini, the longtime agent and attorney who led negotiations on the $1.4 billion in NBA contracts closed by Klutch Sports from 2014-2019, is no longer affiliated with the agency, league sources say" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2021 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Gregory, Sean (April 26, 2021). "2021 Time100 Most Influential Companies − Klutch Sports Group". Time. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  19. ^ "'I'm The Glue For My Guys': Agent Nicole Lynn On Representing Jalen Hurts, Quinnen Williams & Book 'Agent You'". CBS News. July 14, 2021. Archived from the original on September 14, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  20. ^ Yamashita, Andy (February 17, 2022). "Las Vegas Aces stars join Rich Paul's Klutch Sports". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  21. ^ Hernandez, Victoria (July 14, 2023). "Agent Jade-Li English has five clients in WNBA All-Star Game. This is how she got here". USA Today. Archived from the original on September 14, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Whitaker, Bill (June 2, 2024) [First published October 8, 2023]. "How sports agent Rich Paul rewrites the playbook for representing pro athletes". CBS News. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  23. ^ "Klutch Sports Group moves into baseball with acquisition of Rep 1 Baseball". www.sportsbusinessjournal.com. December 14, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  24. ^ Earl, William (December 14, 2023). "UTA Moves: Klutch Sports Group Buys Rep 1 Baseball Agency; Jay Sures Named Board Chair of Triad National Security". Variety. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  25. ^ Whitaker, Bill; Chasan, Aliza; Lieberman, Marc; McDonald, Cassidy (October 10, 2023). "Sports agent Rich Paul takes big swings negotiating deals for athletes". CBS News. Archived from the original on June 12, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  26. ^ a b Weprin, Alex (June 10, 2024). "UTA Acquires European Soccer Agency Roof as Klutch Expands Global Reach". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  27. ^ Hayden, Erik (July 17, 2019). "UTA Partners With LeBron James' Agent Rich Paul for Sports Division". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 14, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  28. ^ Whittock, Jesse (June 10, 2024). "UTA Scores Deal To Buy Europe Soccer Agency Roof". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  29. ^ Clinkscales, Jason (September 5, 2024). "NYCFC Taps Klutch to Sell Premier Sponsorships for New Stadium". Sportico. Yahoo! Finance. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  30. ^ a b c d e f "Coming in Klutch – Los Angeles Lakers Benefit From Klutch Sports Clients Since LeBron James Arrived". Essentially Sports. April 7, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  31. ^ Chris Fedor (June 8, 2022). "2022 NBA Draft: MarJon Beauchamp joining Malaki Branham and others in 'group' workout for Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday". Cleveland.com. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  32. ^ a b c d e Jordan Greer (October 20, 2021). "Rich Paul's top clients: Klutch Sports Group agent's NBA roster goes well beyond LeBron James". Sporting News. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  33. ^ a b Justin Alvarado (June 30, 2020). "Every client of Klutch Sports". ClutchPoints. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  34. ^ Austin Boyd (June 30, 2022). "Lakers Sign Ex-Bulls Forward, Former 1st-Round Pick Who Is Klutch Client". Heavy. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  35. ^ Brendan Bowers (June 25, 2019). "Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jordan Clarkson signs with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports". USA Today. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  36. ^ Barling, Damien [@damienbarling] (November 14, 2022). "Reporting with @James_HamNBA De'Aaron Fox has moved on from Chris Gaston and Family First Sports Firm and is joining Klutch Sports. This is a huge step for the 24 year old Sacramento Kings guard" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2023 – via Twitter.
  37. ^ "Agent: Gordon, Nuggets agree to $92M extension". ESPN.com. September 14, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  38. ^ "Rich Paul Client List". RealGM. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  39. ^ "NBA prospect Jaden Hardy has long drawn Beal comparisons". NBC Sports Washington. June 7, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  40. ^ Nikki Finke (September 13, 2012). "LeBron James Leaves CAA With Agent Pal; Start Of Sports Representation Shake-Up?". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  41. ^ Bill Reiter (June 29, 2024). "Why Bronny James' success with the Lakers could depend on LeBron getting out the way". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  42. ^ Jeff Garcia (November 16, 2021). "Spurs' Keldon Johnson signs with Klutch Sports". KENS. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  43. ^ Bruce Pascoe (May 25, 2022). "'Skilled' Henri Veesaar finds fit with internationally minded Arizona Wildcats". Longview News-Journal. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  44. ^ "LeBron James welcomes Zach LaVine to Klutch Sports Group". RSN. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  45. ^ Rachel Gossen (October 3, 2020). "Phoenix Suns' Jalen Lecque signs with Klutch Sports Group". KMVP-FM. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  46. ^ Sanjesh Singh (September 30, 2021). "Lakers news: Kendrick Nunn signs with Klutch Sports Group". USA Today Sports Weekly. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  47. ^ "Trail Blazers, Jusuf Nurkić agree to 4-year, $70 million deal". The Athletic. July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  48. ^ Bryce Smith (May 26, 2022). "Scotty Pippen Jr. impresses at NBA Combine, signs with Klutch Sports Group". The Vanderbilt Hustler. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  49. ^ Khobi Price (December 16, 2021). "Magic's Terrence Ross not worrying about potential trade as rumors pick up". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  50. ^ Sean Keane (June 30, 2022). "Warriors say "Adios" as Juan Toscano-Anderson signs with Lakers". SB Nation. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  51. ^ Dave McMenamin (June 30, 2022). "Los Angeles Lakers add Lonnie Walker IV, Damian Jones, Troy Brown Jr., Juan Toscano-Anderson duri..." WABC-TV. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  52. ^ Kurt Helin (February 22, 2022). "Rich Paul wants to clear record: Klutch Sports didn't push Westbrook for Wall trade". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  53. ^ Chris Kirschner (June 30, 2020). "Inside the pursuit: Why Trae Young signed with Klutch Sports and what it means". The Athletic. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  54. ^ "NFL Agents Tracker". Spotrac.com. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  55. ^ "NFL Agents Tracker". Spotrac.com. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
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