Adele and sports agent Rich Paul’s relationship is not a contest.
The first time the two were seen in public was on July 17, 2021, when the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns 123-119 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. A source told PEOPLE that the award-winning singer had been dating Paul for “a few months” after they were seen together courtside in 2021. Adele revealed to Vogue that she and her boyfriend went to the game together for her November 2021 cover story.
“I didn’t intend to make it public. I simply wanted to attend the game “She spoke. “I adore being in his presence. I simply adore it.”
About Paul, Adele said, “He’s great. He’s f—ing hilarious. He’s really clever, you know.”
Since their first public appearance, the couple has hung out together at additional basketball games, experienced a date night in Los Angeles, gone on a romantic getaway to Italy, and even attended the 2023 Super Bowl, where they sat in the VIP section with JAY-Z and Paul McCartney.
Who is the man who is the object of Adele’s sweetest adoration? Here is all you need to know about Rich Paul and his relationship with Adele, from how he met LeBron James to how he rose to become one of the industry’s most influential sports agents.
He is the founder of a sports agency
Paul is a pillar in the sports world, in contrast to Adele, who may be a powerhouse in the music sector.
Paul, the creator of Klutch Sports Group, is an agent for some of basketball’s best stars, including LeBron James, Ben Simmons, and Trae Young.
Known for pushing harsh deals, he managed the trade of Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Los Angeles Lakers, who would go on to win the title in 2020.
Paul was described as “extremely persistent in getting his players what they want, and he will utilise all means available to him” by an NBA general manager in a May 2021 profile in The New Yorker.
He is from Cleveland, Ohio
Paul was born and reared in Cleveland, Ohio, where his late father, Rich Sr., ran a corner shop called R & J Confectionery, even though he now considers Beverly Hills home.
After enrolling at the University of Akron, Paul later changed to Cleveland State after learning that Rich Sr. had intestinal cancer. A few months after the passing of his father, he stopped attending college.
Paul recalled his father as constantly emphasising the value of education to him in an interview with The New Yorker. “I’ve always desired a job. But even so, if my father had been living, I probably would have completed my education. I never wanted to disappoint dad.”
He dreamed of being an athlete
Paul admitted in his New Yorker feature that he “certainly wanted to be an athlete” as a child, but that he had to be creative in order to find a profession in athletics.
He said, explaining that he began to think like his father “as an entrepreneur and businessman,” “Your heart is big, but I’m small in size.”
He first met James, who would later become his most important client, in 2022 while they were both waiting for a flight to Atlanta at the Akron-Canton Airport. James was impressed by Paul’s genuine Houston Oilers jersey at the time he was selling vintage sports jerseys.
James and Paul started working together soon after the basketball player was selected for the NBA. Paul and the group were known as the Four Horsemen, along with James, Maverick Carter, and Randy Mims, who were his childhood friends.
According to James’ 2012 interview with ESPN Magazine, “I simply felt like Rich was someone I wanted to grow with.” I wanted him to be a part of my team because he had always kept things real with me.
He has three children
Paul’s relationships before to meeting Adele are not well recognised. However, he mentioned having three children, one of them being a daughter who was “a junior in college,” in a June 2022 interview with E! News. Additionally, he implied that he was amenable to having more kids.
“Growing a business was pretty tough as a young dad,” he remarked. But now that I’m an older father, if I ever had additional children, I’d like to be a different kind of father.
Added Paul “The kids grow up quickly in the blink of an eye when you’re creating a business since you’re frequently on the go and travelling around. The issue is that the next thing you know, they’re walking, riding a bike, running, and turning around.”
He learned his trade at a powerhouse agency
Paul started working for Leon Rose at Creative Artists Agency after becoming a part of James’ inner group. He established strong ties and connections there that ultimately assisted him in launching his own agency, Klutch Sports Group, in 2012.
In his ESPN Magazine profile, Paul stated, “I had fantastic teaching.” “Working for Nike and CAA is like going to MIT and Michigan Law School,” said one person.
He helped change the rules of the NCAA
When the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) revised its rules to require agents to have a bachelor’s degree in August 2019, Paul gained notoriety. The decision was made shortly after Paul was successful in convincing high school basketball prospect Darius Bazley to intern for New Balance rather than play for Syracuse University.
Numerous people dubbed the new rule the “Rich Paul Rule,” but the NCAA later withdrew it after the sports agent claimed in an opinion piece published in The Atlantic that it was “preventing young people from less prestigious backgrounds, and frequently people of colour, from working in the system they continue to control.”
He was previously linked to Tobey Maguire’s ex-wife Jennifer Meyer
According to a source who spoke to PEOPLE, Paul had a committed relationship with Tobey Maguire’s ex-wife Jennifer Meyer before to making his affair with Adele public. In late 2018, the two were first connected.
He met Adele at a party
Adele mentioned that she had first met Paul at a party in the previous 2021 interview with Vogue.
She admitted, “I was a little inebriated.” “Do you want to sign me, I asked? I’m now an athlete.”
Added Adele, “He was twirling. The other men were all lounging around. Just dancing away, that’s all.”
He is writing a memoir
The Hollywood Reporter states that Paul’s life narrative has been purchased for a planned biography by Roc Lit 101, a Random House subsidiary and the publishing arm of Jay-Roc Z’s Nation.
The book, Lucky Me, will describe Paul’s background in Cleveland and his ascent to the position of sports agent.
Paul declared in March 2021 that “Lucky Me is bigger than my narrative.” “Every young Black man who grew up like me may identify with Lucky Me. I want to use my experience to encourage and enlighten both people who experienced it firsthand and those who did not. I can’t begin to explain what it means to collaborate on this project with my buddy and mentor Jay-Z. The title of the book was Lucky Me even before I had a conversation with Jay since his songs served as the soundtrack to my existence.”
Adele thinks he is “hilarious”
Adele discussed one of her favourite aspects about Paul in her Adele One Night Only CBS special, which aired in November 2021 and featured Oprah Winfrey.
She exclaimed, “He’s just hilarious.” “Oh, he’s so clever and witty. It’s amazing to watch him perform his tasks.”
Adele serenaded him on his 41st birthday
Paul celebrated his birthday in Las Vegas in December 2022 with Adele. During her performance at Caesars Palace, the “Someone Like You” singer made a little break to sing the sports agent in the audience “Happy Birthday.”
From the stage, Adele wished her fan a happy birthday and stated, “I love you more than life itself.”
He attended the 2023 Grammys with Adele
Adele was accompanied by Paul at the 65th Grammy Awards, where she took up the best pop solo performance trophy for her song “Easy on Me.”
Adele was spotted at the event wearing a burgundy, off-the-shoulder Louis Vuitton gown, while the founder of the sports agency was dressed in a tux.
The singer quoted Paul’s advice, “If you win anything, don’t cry,” in her acceptance speech.
Adele mentioned that she had first met Paul at a party in the previous 2021 interview with Vogue.