LeBron James reversed “The Decision” and decided to return home to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but how did it all come together? The New York Times did an amazing feature on the man behind THE man, Rich Paul. In the feature they detailed how Paul and James met, his background, how he grew and became a great businessman and most importantly, how he helped orchestrate the biggest sports story of the year.
This is excerpts via The New York Times, I suggest you read the whole feature when you have time:
The first contract he had ever negotiated had become the biggest sports story of the year, and Paul, James’s agent, had played a big part in his homecoming.
James’s decision to return to Cleveland involved many factors, on and off the basketball court. But at the heart of James’s homecoming is a promise made 12 years ago between a teenage basketball phenom and a self-made businessman selling throwback jerseys out of the trunk of his car.
“He used to listen to me and how I was going to get out of the inner city and make a difference, and I used to listen to him say how he was going to get out and make a difference,” James said. “Those conversations turned to how we are going to do it, and then to, why not do it together? I wanted him to be with me.”
No one was surprised when James chose to become a free agent this summer. What few people knew was that James wanted to come home.
James asked Paul to test the waters in Cleveland and see if the Cavs were interested in moving past “The Decision” and “The Letter,” the angry rejoinder from Cleveland’s owner, Dan Gilbert.
Even though James was in Miami, Paul attended the Cavs’ next season opener and made a point of visiting the team’s executives. “There was a foundation of trust,” said Griffin, the general manager.
This summer, Paul told Griffin that James was interested in returning, but said there were no guarantees.
“Once LeBron started getting serious about Cleveland, I knew he needed to sit with Dan in person,” said Paul. “He had to talk to him directly.”
On July 6, Gilbert flew to South Florida to meet with James. They sat down at the kitchen table, and Gilbert apologized for the letter and “one terrible” night that had eclipsed the previous five rewarding years together.
It was clear as well that James was ready to move on, but he was perhaps even more interested in whether the Cavs had the money to immediately build a championship team. Gilbert assured James the Cavs had the resources and were willing to use them.
Finally, on the morning of July 11, Paul picked up the phone and called Gilbert.
“Dan, congratulations,” he told him. “LeBron is coming home.”
James has been lauded for his faithfulness to his roots. But Paul deserves some of the credit for making the return possible.
“The organization wants to win a championship for the city and Northeast Ohio, and LeBron wants to win more championships,” Griffin said. “But we wouldn’t be where we are today if Rich hadn’t handled things the way he did.”
