NBA

Who’s that man in LeBron James’ ear?

The man behind the most influential man in the NBA got his start with a flashy outfit and a chance encounter.

For the second time in four years, LeBron James is a free agent whose unresolved status is paralyzing the league, bringing attention to the behind-the-scenes maneuvers of his self-taught agent, Rich Paul. According to Yahoo! Sports, the Cleveland native has been a primary engine behind James mulling a return to the Cavaliers.

As ESPN told the story in a 2012 profile, Paul was at Akron-Canton Airport in April 2002 when his Warren Moon jersey caught the eye of James, a teenage hoops prodigy on his way to the Final Four in Atlanta with some friends.

James approached Paul and asked about the jersey, spawning a friendship that took the duo from their shared Ohio beginnings to the top of the NBA power pyramid.

As James’ decision (or is it Decision?) plays out, one of the loudest and most trusted voices in his ear has belonged to Paul, who took James and started his own agency, Klutch Sports Group, in September 2012, breaking away from Leon Rose and Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

James (center) with Paul (left) and former high school teammate Brandon Weems in 2001AP

“Rich is now a major threat to every large corporate agency that exists,” NBA agent Chris Luchey told ESPN in 2012. “The fact that the largest icon in the sport today has an agent from a boutique firm kills every myth these large agencies have been standing on.”

Paul, who was certified as an agent without a college degree, has not avoided missteps altogether during his rise in the business. From his time at CAA, Paul was implicated in the Myck Kabongo case in 2012, when the then-Texas guard was suspended for receiving improper benefits.

“It’s a cutthroat business,” Paul told ESPN. “I’m a target. Where I come from, I’ve seen worse.”

What Paul lacks in education, he makes up for with savvy. He co-founded a marketing firm for James, LRMR, and has proved to be an expert recruiter, helping bring players to CAA and turning Rose into an extremely powerful agent.

“I had great teaching,” Paul said. “Working with Nike and at CAA, that’s the equivalent of going to Michigan Law School and to MIT.”

Paul also represents Suns restricted free agent Eric Bledsoe, Cory Joseph, Kevin Seraphin, and Tristan Thompson of the … Cleveland Cavaliers.