Category: Klutch Sports

Klutch Sports’ Rich Paul denies report of wanting Lakers to trade Russell Westbrook for John Wall

Rich Paul told Stephen A. Smith his side of the report about Klutch Sports wanting the Lakers to trade Russell Westbrook for John Wall.

Bleacher Report Sunday published a report about Klutch Sports apparently being unhappy with Los Angeles Lakers VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka for not trading Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for John Wall, a fellow Klutch client.

But according to Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s “First Take” Monday, Paul had called Smith to tell Smith his side of the story. Paul denied the report and called it an “absolute lie”:

“Rich Paul called me yesterday and asked me to quote him on this story about him and Klutch Sports and essentially them wanting the Lakers to trade Russell Westbrook and a first-round pick to Houston for John Wall.

“He wanted me to state emphatically that there was absolutely, positively no truth to that whatsoever. He never did that. He did not do that. The people who wrote the story never contacted him to get any kind of perspective from him on that.

“It is an absolute lie, and he said ‘Could you please do me a favor and quote me and tell the world that I specifically said that’s a damn lie. There is no truth. It never happened.’ Just for what it’s worth, that’s what Rich Paul says about these stories that have been put out there. Fair enough, so I quoted him.”

This is definitely notable since it came directly from the horse’s mouth. The public feud between LeBron James, Paul and Klutch Sports and the Lakers’ front office continues to escalate.

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Report: Klutch Sports is not happy with Lakers’ Rob Pelinka

The relationship between Lakers VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and Klutch Sports reportedly is in a sour state.

The drama continues to amplify for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022 All-Star break.

It started Saturday when LeBron James opened the door by saying the door to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers is not closed, making his current situation with the Lakers murky. James also confirmed his final season will be spent with his son Bronny James, so that will likely end his tenure in L.A. too if another team secures Bronny.

This comes after the Lakers did not make any trades before the deadline on Feb. 10. James and the players knew trades needed to happen to improve the roster and make a title run, but Lakers VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka stood firm.

There was a deal that would’ve sent Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for John Wall, but Pelinka did not want to send L.A.’s coveted 2027 first-round pick to end the Westbrook experiment.

Not pulling the trigger for that move has made Klutch Sports, James’ agency, not happy with Pelinka, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report:

According to multiple NBA sources, Klutch is not happy with Pelinka. The sentiment has long percolated, but it reached a boil when Pelinka refused to trade Westbrook and a future first-round pick (likely 2027) for Houston Rockets guard and Klutch client John Wall.

The move didn’t make sense for the Lakers from a basketball standpoint as a significant upgrade over Westbrook, even though Wall averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists per game last year. Wall hasn’t played this season, with the Rockets focusing on developing younger players. From the Klutch point of view, the Lakers would get their client out of a bad situation in Houston and undo the Westbrook mistake.

The Lakers have had multiple players represented by Klutch on the roster since LeBron joined in 2018: Anthony Davis, Talen Horton-Tucker, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Ben McLemore, Markieff Morris, Montrezl Harrell, Dion Waiters, J.R. Smith.

Tristan Thompson was named a buyout candidate this season for the Lakers because of the Klutch connection, so it’s not surprising that not trading for Wall has Klutch feeling this way.

Let’s see if Pelinka and Klutch can mend the situation.

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LeBron James reacts to Dejounte Murray making 2022 NBA All-Star game

LeBron James reacted to San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray making the 2022 NBA All-Star game as an injury replacement.

The 2022 NBA All-Star game is just a few weeks away, but some players who have been selected won’t play due to injuries. So far, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green have been ruled out, so the NBA Monday designated LaMelo Ball and Dejounte Murray as injury replacements.

Murray, a Klutch Sports player, has made a name for himself with the San Antonio Spurs this season, averaging 19.6 points, 9.2 assists and 8.4 rebounds. His emergence has been on the horizon for a few seasons, and now he has received well-deserved recognition for his development.

The 25-year-old guard will have the chance to play with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James because James is a captain and will get to choose his team via draft.

LeBron reacted to Murray making the All-Star game on Twitter:

The All-Star game will take place in Cleveland on Sunday, Feb. 20.

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Klutch Sports named one of Time Magazine’s Most Influential Companies

Klutch Sports, founded by Rich Paul, has been named one of the most influential companies by Time Magazine.

It has been less than 10 years since Rich Paul decided to leave Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and start Klutch Sports, bringing his longtime friend and business partner, LeBron James, as his primary client. But what began as a venture with two close friends has ballooned into a global sports empire, becoming a leading force in the sports talent world.

Klutch Sports is now mentioned in the same breath as Wasserman and CAA. It even landed a major investment from United Talent Agency last season to help UTA branch out its sports division. During that time, Klutch has expanded from the NBA to the NFL and MLB. Its growth even caught the eye of Time Magazine, which named it one of the 100 most influential companies of 2021 in the latest edition of the annual list.

Klutch Sports continues to raise the bar across the realm of sports representation and they have continued to grow, adding likely top picks in the upcoming NFL and NBA drafts.

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Klutch Sports named one of Time Magazine’s Most Influential Companies

Klutch Sports, founded by Rich Paul, has been named one of the most influential companies by Time Magazine.

It has been less than 10 years since Rich Paul decided to leave Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and start Klutch Sports, bringing his longtime friend and business partner, LeBron James, as his primary client. But what began as a venture with two close friends has ballooned into a global sports empire, becoming a leading force in the sports talent world.

Klutch Sports is now mentioned in the same breath as Wasserman and CAA. It even landed a major investment from United Talent Agency last season to help UTA branch out its sports division. During that time, Klutch has expanded from the NBA to the NFL and MLB. Its growth even caught the eye of Time Magazine, which named it one of the 100 most influential companies of 2021 in the latest edition of the annual list.

Klutch Sports continues to raise the bar across the realm of sports representation and they have continued to grow, adding likely top picks in the upcoming NFL and NBA drafts.

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Terrence Clarke, 19, dies after car accident in Los Angeles

Clarke had just announced earlier in the week that he had signed with Klutch Sports before the NBA Draft.

Terrence Clarke, a 19-year old freshman out of Kentucky, has died after being involved in a car accident on Thursday afternoon. Clarke had recently declared for the draft and had signed with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports for his representation. Clarke had hopes of being draft and was in Los Angeles to train for the upcoming draft later this summer.

Later on Thursday night, Paul released a statement to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski in which he confirmed the tragedy. Clarke’s mother was by his side. Paul also added in his statement that the Clarke family is praying for privacy at this time following an unspeakable tragedy.

Clarke had recently announced his joining Klutch Sports.

According to initial reports about the crash. the incident involving Clarke occurred after Clarke had finished a workout with fellow Klutch signee and Kentucky Wildcat, BJ Boston. Boston was not in the same car. Police say the crash happened at around 2:10 p.m. PT.

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Klutch Sports: Former Sierra Canyon star BJ Boston signs with Klutch

Klutch Sports is already preparing for the upcoming draft by bringing on one of Bronny James’ former teammates.

While the Los Angeles Lakers will soon welcome back Anthony Davis to their lineup, Klutch Sports is preparing for yet another NBA Draft. On Wednesday afternoon, we learned more about the incoming Klutch class of 2021, which includes a familiar name for those who have followed the career of Bronny James.

Bronny’s former Sierra Canyon teammate, Brandon Boston Jr. (aka BJ), is one of the newest signees of Klutch Sports. Boston was a transfer to Sierra Canyon for his senior season, in which the Trail Blazers made it to the CIF Open Final before the coronavirus pandemic canceled their championship game. Boston is one of the players featured in the latest documentary series about Sierra Canyon, Top Class, which is available on Amazon Prime Video.

The signing of Boston is likely just the start of former Sierra Canyon stars choosing Klutch Sports as their representation in the near future. Stanford’s Ziaire Williams, who also was part of the 2019-20 Sierra Canyon squad, also recently declared for the draft.

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Klutch Sports: Washington’s Chase Young wins NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year

Washington Football Team star Chase Young won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award on Saturday.

Over the past year and a half, Klutch Sports has expanded its operations from the basketball court to both professional baseball and football, in their hopes to continue growing as a leading representative for elite athletes across sports. Their foray into the NFL began with having two top-three draft picks, including Chase Young, who took home one of the biggest awards for a player, being named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year on Saturday night.

Young had 7.5 sacks, recovered three fumbles, and made 10 tackles for loss in 15 games. Young was the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft coming out of Ohio State, helping lead the Washington Football Team to a playoff berth.

Young and Washington lost in the Wild Card Game last month to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are playing the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s Super Bowl. Young’s counterpart for Offensive Rookie of the Year was Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.

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Danny Green says LeBron James comparisons ‘unfair’ to Ben Simmons

Former Laker Danny Green and current 76er believes that the comparisons to LeBron James are unfair to Ben Simmons.

The comparisons between LeBron James and Ben Simmons have been around seemingly ever since Simmons burst onto the basketball scene when he was a youngster. Those comparisons were made even louder when James and Simmons themselves leaned into them, with LeBron James calling him the “Young King” and the “Fresh Prince” over the years.

Simmons, of course, is also represented by Klutch Sports. But one person who has seen both of them up close believes the comparisons are unfair to Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers guard Danny Green. Green was asked about the comparisons between the two and he believes any comparisons to LeBron are unfair, even though he believes Simmons has the tools to be a great player in his own right.

Via Ky Carlin of SixersWire

“I see why there’s a comparison,” said Green. “Obviously, LeBron is one of the greatest to ever do it and Ben has the potential given the size, ability, and speed, but it’s unfair. It’s unfair to compare anybody to LeBron or compare anybody to Michael Jordan, especially at a young age.”

…

“Ben is still learning the game and he’s still very good, but he still has a long way to go if he wants to be in that realm,” Green added. “This is an unfair comparison for anybody let alone Ben, but he has the tools and the potential to be that.”

Simmons and LeBron will face off for the seventh time in their NBA careers tonight in Philadelphia.

This post originally appeared on LeBron Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Klutch Sports: Jusuf Nurkic suffers wrist fracture vs. Pacers

Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic suffered a fractured right wrist during Thursday night’s loss to Indiana.

The Portland Trail Blazers lost a key part of their team for an undetermined period of time when starting center Jusuf Nurkic went down with a fractured right wrist during Thursday night’s loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Nurkic, 26, was playing in his 20th regular-season game after returning from a gruesome broken leg he suffered in March 2019. The Trail Blazers did not immediately say how much time Nurkic would miss. Nurkic has been with Klutch Sports and Rich Paul since the fall of 2019. Nurkic has also been dealing with the passing of his grandmother from COVID-19.

Nurkic had seemingly been working his way back into shape after a slow start, and the wrist fracture is yet another setback for the Blazers center. While the Blazers were understandably shaken by the loss of their center and one of the key parts of their team over the last few seasons, other players, such as Memphis’ Ja Morant, showed love to Nurkic after the injury.

The Lakers are scheduled to play the Blazers again on Feb. 26.

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