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LeBron James Criticizes NCAA for Creating the 'Rich Paul Rule' for NBA Agents
August 7, 2019
LeBron James appeared to swiftly criticize the NCAA's new policy detailing requirements for agents looking to represent men's college basketball players considering entry into the NBA draft:
Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweeted the list:
Jon Rothstein @JonRothsteinSources: The NCAA has officially added criteria for agents who wish to represent student athletes testing the waters for the NBA Draft. Criteria: - Bachelor's Degree - Certified with NBPA for a minimum of three years - Take an in-person exam at the NCAA Office in Indianapolis
James is represented by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, who does not have a college degree. Paul also represents Anthony Davis, Ben Simmons, Draymond Green and Eric Bledsoe, among others.
Chris Paul, who is not represented by Rich Paul or Klutch Sports, also took to Twitter to criticize the rule:
The new rules come at a time where some high-profile names have skipped college ball in favor of other options.
Darius Bazley took a year off and trained before the Oklahoma City Thunder selected him 23rd overall in this year's draft. After deciding to skip school, he signed with Paul and earned a seven-figure deal with New Balance last year, per Marc Stein of the New York Times.
RJ Hampton will play for the New Zealand Breakers and signed a multimillion-dollar endorsement deal with Li-Ning, per ESPN's Nick DePaula.
Although there's no direct evidence suggesting the NCAA targeted Paul, James wasn't the only person to connect the new rules to the agent. The Athletic's David Aldridge and former NBA player Matt Barnes did the same:
Per HoopsHype, Paul represents 20 NBA players.