Sometimes, it’s not easy to fight the status quo and for agent Rich Paul — who represents LeBron James and Anthony Davis as well as a number of other NBA athletes — could find himself ineligible to represent college players due to a new NCAA requirement.
According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, the NCAA is instituting a new set of rules that would require an agent to have a Bachelor’s degree, be certified with the NBPA for at least three years, and pass an in-person exam in order to become NCAA certified.
For college players who only recently gained the ability to declare for the NBA Draft, hire an agent, and still have the ability to return to school, this could effectively prohibit them from hiring certain agents.
Paul would be among this group due to the fact that he does not have a Bachelor’s degree. Paul, who has quickly risen to become one of the most powerful and successful agents in the NBA, famously met James by chance while he was selling jerseys. A friendship was established and that eventually led to Paul becoming James’ agent and the opening of the Klutch Sports agency.
Some longtime agents have been unhappy with the way that Paul got his start and this NCAA rule could be seen as a chance to prevent him from representing some college athletes who are testing the waters to see if turning pro is the correct decision for them.
On this episode of the Lakers Nation News Feed, host Trevor Lane notes that being an agent is an extremely results-driven job, and Paul has already proven that he is more than capable of managing his client’s careers. The bottom line is the NCAA will have a public relations battle on their hands if they push forward with these new rules as James and many other high-profile people in the sports world have already spoken out against them.
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