Getty LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers talks with Rich Paul during a stop in play at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2023 in New York City.
New York Knicks president Leon Rose and Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul had a sit-down meeting that “hashed out” their issues, according to a New York Post report.
A few hours after the news came out, LeBron James’ 2-emoji reply to “The Shop” co-creator Paul Rivera’s apple emoji post on X, formerly Twitter, went viral and had Knicks fans go wild.
James simply posted a Lady Liberty and crown emoji, meaning “King of New York.”
Knicks Fans’ Mixed Reactions to LeBron’s ‘King of New York’ Post
New York fans had mixed feelings about James’ latest post ahead of Saturday’s ABC primetime match between the Los Angeles Lakers and the red-hot Knicks.
New York Basketball, a Knicks-centric fan X account replied with the same emojis James used and the equal sign with photo of Jalen Brunson attached. Brunson, who earned his first All-Star berth this season, has been on a tear, leading the Knicks’s rise to third in the Eastern Conference heading into Saturday’s game.
James is questionable to play against the Knicks after sitting out the Lakers’ stunning 114-105 win over their arch-rival Boston Celtics on February 1.
Another fan replied to James with him in a photoshopped Knicks jersey with the caption: “Please, I’m literally begging you.”
@KingJames @pr_RWTW Please, I’m literally begging you
Another fan posted a screenshot of former New York Post’s Knicks beat reporter Marc Berman saying he “will never rule out” James playing for the Knicks in the future as Madison Square Garden is his favorite arena.
James had once spurned the Knicks 14 years ago when he chose to sign with the Miami Heat during the 2010 free agency.
James became the subject of trade rumors after his cryptic post of an hourglass emoji following the Lakers’ back-to-back losses to lower-rung teams Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets.
Paul flatly denied the rumors.
“LeBron won’t be traded, and we aren’t asking to be,” Paul was quoted telling ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on February 2.
The 39-year-old Lakers superstar has a $51.4 million player option for next season.
Klutch-Knicks Meeting Could Impact Trade Deadline Moves
The sit-down meeting between Rose and Paul, who previously worked together at Creative Artists Agency, is crucial given the timing of it ahead of the February 8 trade deadline.
Several of Klutch Sports clients — Utah’s Jordan Clarkson, Portland’s Malcolm Brogdon and Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray — continue to be on New York’s radar with the trade deadline less than a week away.
“The hope is to move forward with a business relationship, per a source,” The Post’s Stefan Bondy reported on February 2.
The last time the Knicks employed a Klutch Sports client ended on a sour note.
Cam Reddish did not see eye to eye with Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau and never earned a regular rotation spot. Reddish’s brief Knicks tenure ended with a trade deadline move to Portland for Josh Hart, a CAA client who is thriving alongside his former Villanova teammates, Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo.
Before Reddish, Nerlens Noel was the last Klutch Sports client who played for the Knicks. Noel bitterly left and sued Klutch Sports during his Knicks stint that ended in an amicable settlement in January last year.