Rich Paul is the CEO and founder of KLUTCH Sports Group, the powerhouse agency representing some of the biggest athletes across major professional sports. Paul founded KLUTCH Sports in 2012 in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, where he forged a unique and personal approach to representing top NBA talent – putting athletes first and empowering them to build careers and brands on and off the court. Under his leadership, KLUTCH Sports has grown significantly throughout the years. In 2019, KLUTCH Sports partnered with United Talent Agency (UTA), a talent, entertainment, and advisory company. Paul now serves as an agency partner and is a member of UTA’s Board of Directors. In this time, KLUTCH has expanded its scope to include industry-leading representation in the NFL, WNBA, MLB and NIL. Recently, KLUTCH further expanded its global presence and innovative approach by announcing the acquisition of ROOF, the global football agency. In 2023, Rich Paul founded Klutch Athletics, a sportswear brand, in partnership with New Balance. Klutch Athletics was founded with the goal of supporting all athletes throughout their athletic journey. Paul has been named GQ’s “PowerBroker of the Year” and “The King Maker” on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2019; in addition to Variety naming him to their “Variety500” list of the most influential business leaders shaping the global media industry. KLUTCH Sports has also garnered significant acclaim, being named as one of GQ’s 20 Most Creative Companies in the World in 2024, citing Paul’s mission of being the ultimate embodiment of the player empowerment era. Additionally, in 2021, TIME recognized KLUTCH Sports on its first-ever list of TIME100 Most Influential Companies Paul is credited with driving the reversal of the so-called “Rich Paul Rule,” which would have banned agents without a college degree from representing NCAA student-athletes. Paul currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles Museum County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the Board of Directors of Designer Brands Inc., and Live Nation. Paul is also a strategic brand advisor at Robinhood. In 2023, Paul also became a New York Times best-selling author with the release of his memoir, Lucky Me.