LeBron's Agent, Rich Paul, Responds To The NCAA
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 13: LeBron James talks to his agent Rich Paul during halftime of a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Staples Center on January 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
LeBron James' agent, Rich Paul, has responded to the NCAA's "Rich Paul Rule" in an op-ed piece for The Athletic.
The NCAA reportedly has outlined its requirements for agents interested in representing student-athletes during the NBA Draft process.
Those requirements, dubbed the "Rich Paul Rule," are: "a bachelor's degree, NBPA certification for at least three consecutive years, professional liability insurance and completion of an in-person exam taken in early November at the NCAA office in Indianapolis," per ESPN.
Paul, the founder and CEO of Klutch Sports Group (which represents NBA stars like LeBron, Anthony Davis, John Wall, Ben Simmons, Draymond Green), has responded to the rule.
"The harmful consequences of this decision will ricochet onto others who are trying to break in," Paul said in an op-ed for The Athletic. "NCAA executives are once again preventing young people from less prestigious backgrounds, and often people of color, from working in the system they continue to control. In this case, the people being locked out are kids who aspire to be an agent and work in the NBA and do not have the resources, opportunity, or desire to get a four-year degree.
"I actually support requiring three years of experience before representing a kid testing the market. I can even get behind passing a test. However, requiring a four-year degree accomplishes only one thing -- systematically excluding those who come from a world where college is unrealistic.
"Does anyone really believe a four-year degree is what separates an ethical person from a con artist?"
Paul has become arguably the most-powerful agent in the NBA, though he does not have a bachelor's degree, and thus wouldn't be able to represent student-athletes going through the NBA Draft process.
The powerful agent has received significant support from LeBron since the NCAA unveiled its new rules, with the Lakers star calling it out on social media.
The NCAA, meanwhile, responded to the criticism with a statement last week.
