American sports agent Rich Paul represents some of the biggest names in basketball, including John Wall, Ben Simmons, Trae Young, Anthony Davis, and none other than the king himself LeBron James.
Paul has become a household name when it comes to the representation of the biggest names in sports. Now, he claims that he is so well versed in representing star athletes, that he could have taken a former MVP and made him the biggest thing in basketball since Michael Jordan.
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Rich Paul Says He Could Have Made Allen Iverson a Billionaire
On a recent episode of The Colin Cowherd Podcast, Paul said that he could have made Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson a billion-dollar brand had he been representing him.
“Allen Iverson’s impact post-Michael Jordan was second-to-none … Give me Allen Iverson leaving Georgetown, coming into the league, and today Allen Iverson will have a billion-dollar brand,” Paul said on the Colin Cowherd Podcast via Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis’ agent Rich Paul: “Give me Allen Iverson leaving Georgetown, coming to the league. And today Allen Iverson will have a billion dollar brand.”
“Allen Iverson’s impact post Michael Jordan was second-to-none.”
“Today Allen Iverson would be positioned much different. Still, be a Hall of Famer – I’m not talking about what he did on the floor, because obviously, I mean, we can’t even talk about that. He’s just a one-of-a-kind person and his impact, his ability, what he could’ve done in the community even though he has never done anything for show, and he’s helped so many people. But the business to be built with Allen Iverson and that would’ve been still sustainable today, I think would’ve been neck-and-neck with one of the ‘Black Cats’ in MJ.”
Iverson was certainly a game-changer and his impact goes way beyond his Hall of Fame career on the court. Baggy clothes, tattoos, cornrows, the shooting sleeve, Iverson pioneered all of that.
“Look, he had white America wearing cornrows, OK? The arm sleeve. He had such a different impact. I probably would’ve done things differently because I would’ve said, ‘Allen, I’m not focused on the upfront money.’ We put too much focus on the upfront money with guys that you can build a business with. I’m building a billion-dollar business with Allen Iverson, there’s no question about it. His retro business, with the right product, would probably have been second to Michael’s today.”
LeBron James’ agent Rich Paul say he would’ve made Allen Iverson as big as Michael Jordan: “Would have been neck-and-neck.”
“He had white America wearing cornrows.”
“His retro business with the right product would probably have been second to Michael’s today.”
Rich Paul Is Known for Getting Players Paid
At the start of the coronavirus pandemic and quarantine, the NBA notified players that they may not receive their full paychecks for the season after April 1st. Then, Marc Stein of the New York Times reported that the league could have withheld 1.08% of each player’s salary for every game missed due to the coronavirus. Nearly 90% of the players would have received less than half of their 2019-20 salary on April 1 because they are on a 12-month payment schedule.
However, there were 20 players league-wide that received 90% of their salary because they negotiated to have the maximum advancement of salary on a six-month payment schedule. Nine of those players are represented by Rich Paul of the Klutch Sports Group.
As for Allen Iverson, he signed a 10-year, $50-million deal with Reebok after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Sixers in 1996. He still receives $800,000 annually from the brand as part of a lifetime endorsement contract and will have access to a $32-million trust fund when he turns 55 in 2030.
Jordan’s net worth currently stands at $1.6 billion, according to Forbes.
It is interesting to think about how much further Iverson could have been with the acumen and talent of a man like Rich Paul. Considering his history of getting players their money’s worth, it is not impossible to conceive AI being as big a name as MJ.
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LeBron’s Agent Rich Paul Says He Would Have Made Iverson a Billionaire