Rich Paul’s Klutch Sports Group, the talent agency that represents LeBron James, Anthony Davis and a growing list of NBA stars, has received a significant financial investment from the global United Talent Agency, Joe Vardon of The Athletic reports.
UTA is an enormous talent agency founded in 1991 with nearly 1,000 players and 300 agents. Until buying in to Klutch, however, they lacked an athlete division. Paul will continue to manage his existing Klutch clients but will also head up UTA’s brand new sports division, with a headquarters in Beverly Hills.
The pairing will give Paul and his Klutch clients access to considerable resources that UTA already commands. With rival firms like Creative Artists Agency being able to offer a range of services and connections that stretch far beyond the sports world, Klutch can begin to offer similar.
“This puts me in direct competition with the largest agencies in the world,” Paul told Vardon. “There is nothing we cannot do for an athlete. If a guy wants to write a book, great. If he wants to be a ‘Fortnite’ champion, great. If he wants to act, great. He wants to buy a surfboard company? Fantastic. There is nothing we cannot do for the modern athlete.“
UTA presently represents a host of major celebrities like Will Ferrell, Angelina Jolie and Kevin Hart. They’ve also represented athletes with off the court endeavors, including Rob Gronkowski and retired NBA star-turned-analyst Chris Webber.
Klutch Sports Group’s rise as a gamechanger on the NBA landscape has been profound. The UTA investment could help Paul and the seven-year-old firm reach new heights.
