Reading about the 1999 lockout and the prelude to it, it's clear to me this is not unprecedented. It would be great if you could contextualize this all with the history of David Falk (notably MJ and Ewing's agent). He too went to the one year deals with threat to taking MJ to Knicks in the second threepeat to maximize income and leverage against Krause and Reinsdorf. And he too was loathed for the power he exercised in the CBA negotiations.
I'm no fan of Klutch, but to me the special suspicion toward it, once again comes down to overabundance of information in this era. At the risk of sounding "woke" (and my comment history on this substack would certainly make me an eyebrow raising member of that tribe), a non-trivial component of Klutch distaste is at the brash "not-proper", unpolished, manner of their operation, along with the fact that neither Lebron nor Rich Paul try to act like squeaky clean suited paragons of bourgeois white values.
How the NBA doesn't see this as an illegal conflict of interest with Lebron is beyond me. Does he have an official stake in Klutch or is he just a client?
Excellent writing. You touched on the canary in the coal mine of LeBron being the co-founder of Klutch. Ostensibly, Klutch is Paul’s agency — but in your piece, it’s inferred Paul’s power and influence comes via LeBron James. Since LeBron’s power, with its symbiosis partnership with Miller, has made Klutch a success, then why has NBA media pretend like he’s just a client? They seem to try very hard paint that Rich and LeBron are at arms length in this business.
Think you need to dive deeper into the Nerlens Noel story. This will be looked back on as the beginning of the end for Klutch. Steering players away from competition to undermine Brons Chief competitors is huge and right up there with fixing and collusion. Im shocked no on has done an expose already. Or does Bron really run the entire league? Wait… maybe that is an even bigger story.
I think opening with the Adidas/Nike link with Lavine was a curious choice. There's about 2.5 relevant clothing brands for NBA players and one is more popular + dominant to an entire generation. Seems like a sleight of hand, so you can claim it to be insidious down the line if it happens when it's a fairly innocuous part of the game at this point.
If it is such a big part of Klutch's 'influencer juggernaut' then maybe tell that to Rich Paul, pictured out and about with one of the biggest musical artists on the planet in the most viral paparazzi shots he'll ever have, wearing his fairly customary Adidas Gazelles.
I think the Klutch dynamic deserves an "OJ: Made in America 30 for 30" level of deep dive. While Ethan's initial foray is thorough, I feel like there's more there to explore. Admittedly I've had my Conspiracy Theory hat on for awhile with this group and how they apply their power within the NBA world. I'm fascinated to explore their relationship with the NBA's resident Step-dad Adam Silver and how they wield their power with the Klutch Media Channel --oops I mean ESPN-- because its the Elephant in the Room.
Reading about the 1999 lockout and the prelude to it, it's clear to me this is not unprecedented. It would be great if you could contextualize this all with the history of David Falk (notably MJ and Ewing's agent). He too went to the one year deals with threat to taking MJ to Knicks in the second threepeat to maximize income and leverage against Krause and Reinsdorf. And he too was loathed for the power he exercised in the CBA negotiations.
I'm no fan of Klutch, but to me the special suspicion toward it, once again comes down to overabundance of information in this era. At the risk of sounding "woke" (and my comment history on this substack would certainly make me an eyebrow raising member of that tribe), a non-trivial component of Klutch distaste is at the brash "not-proper", unpolished, manner of their operation, along with the fact that neither Lebron nor Rich Paul try to act like squeaky clean suited paragons of bourgeois white values.
Hey Ethan, great article and I love the insight into what is growing into a seemingly point of contention for FOs and the NBA with Klutch’s influence.
Also, more reason for me to never go swimming in the ocean again.
How the NBA doesn't see this as an illegal conflict of interest with Lebron is beyond me. Does he have an official stake in Klutch or is he just a client?
Suggestion for a future article - why are people obsessed with Klutch as compared to every other agency that has extremely shady practices?
Excellent writing. You touched on the canary in the coal mine of LeBron being the co-founder of Klutch. Ostensibly, Klutch is Paul’s agency — but in your piece, it’s inferred Paul’s power and influence comes via LeBron James. Since LeBron’s power, with its symbiosis partnership with Miller, has made Klutch a success, then why has NBA media pretend like he’s just a client? They seem to try very hard paint that Rich and LeBron are at arms length in this business.
Think you need to dive deeper into the Nerlens Noel story. This will be looked back on as the beginning of the end for Klutch. Steering players away from competition to undermine Brons Chief competitors is huge and right up there with fixing and collusion. Im shocked no on has done an expose already. Or does Bron really run the entire league? Wait… maybe that is an even bigger story.
I think opening with the Adidas/Nike link with Lavine was a curious choice. There's about 2.5 relevant clothing brands for NBA players and one is more popular + dominant to an entire generation. Seems like a sleight of hand, so you can claim it to be insidious down the line if it happens when it's a fairly innocuous part of the game at this point.
If it is such a big part of Klutch's 'influencer juggernaut' then maybe tell that to Rich Paul, pictured out and about with one of the biggest musical artists on the planet in the most viral paparazzi shots he'll ever have, wearing his fairly customary Adidas Gazelles.
George Soros and the DEEP STATE should take the blame for the formation of Klutch Sports
I think the Klutch dynamic deserves an "OJ: Made in America 30 for 30" level of deep dive. While Ethan's initial foray is thorough, I feel like there's more there to explore. Admittedly I've had my Conspiracy Theory hat on for awhile with this group and how they apply their power within the NBA world. I'm fascinated to explore their relationship with the NBA's resident Step-dad Adam Silver and how they wield their power with the Klutch Media Channel --oops I mean ESPN-- because its the Elephant in the Room.