Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has long been building a business empire off the basketball court with his business partners Rich Paul and Maverick Carter. The most well known of all of these is Klutch Sports, an agency headed up by Paul that represents a number of athletes across all sports.
But there is always the possibility of expanding and growing the business and that is exactly what Klutch Sports is doing. And it looks like they are delving into an area that makes a lot of sense.
Paul announced that the Klutch Sports is launching a new sportswear brand this spring, Klutch Athletics, in partnership with New Balance, according to Nick DePaula of ESPN:
BREAKING: Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul is launching a new sportswear brand this spring — Klutch Athletics — in partnership with New Balance.
“I’m thrilled to create Klutch Athletics to focus on supporting athletes and the communities in which they live and play,” said @RichPaul4 pic.twitter.com/CsKtCw8OpS
— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) February 15, 2023
Furthermore, Klutch Athletics plans on endorsing athletes in both men’s and women’s sports across all levels, including NIL deals for high school and college athletes according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
Klutch Athletics training apparel plans to endorse athletes across all men's and women's sports and levels – including NIL for high school, college and deals for players in the major professional sports. https://t.co/cSv6yuSCfY
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 15, 2023
This is a natural move for Klutch Sports as with them representing so many athletes in many different sports, it only makes sense to have those athletes rep the brand with official apparel. Of course the sports apparel market is not an easy one to make a dent in with giants like Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour all around. Though the partnership with New Balance should help with that.
But James and his partners have proven time and again that they are capable of pushing through and making a mark in any realm they choose go into and this is the latest venture.
Some within Lakers organization concerned about running LeBron James ‘into the ground’
As far as James on the court, the Lakers star missed three games before the All-Star break with ongoing pain in his left foot. When he has been on the floor, LeBron has taken on a massive workload and is playing a lot of minutes, something that is concerning to some within the Lakers organization.
Recent reports suggest that some people around the Lakers are concerned about running LeBron ‘into the ground’ noting that the workload combined with his lingering foot issues are a problem.
Hopefully with the additions the team made at the trade deadline, the Lakers will be able to lessen the burden on the 38-year-old.
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