LeBron James is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. And with that status comes plenty of opinions — and plenty of narratives. One of the biggest is that James hand-picks the superteams he plays on and pulls the strings behind the scenes for every decision his teams make, from trades to coaching hires.
That narrative came up recently when Rich Paul, James’ longtime agent and close friend, appeared on “The Rich Eisen Show.” Eisen asked Paul whether there was any truth to the idea that James was the one making the calls behind closed doors.
Rich Paul Says the Narrative That LeBron James Runs His Teams Is False
Paul didn’t hold back. He flat-out denied the rumor, saying, “That’s false, and I can say that because I’m there.”
But he didn’t stop there. Paul went on to explain how damaging a narrative like that can be behind the scenes.
Michael Jordan’s longtime agent, David Falk, weighed in on the #NBA GOAT debate today and @RichPaul4 offered some pointed pushback on the take: pic.twitter.com/ELA0RyAG7d
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow)
“When you think about that narrative, people don’t think about the impact that has off the court,” he said. “It hurts friendships — guys that play on teams — because they feel like, ‘Hey, I may have been traded, and it’s because you wanted me out of here.’ And I know that not to be true.”
It’s a rare look from someone deep inside LeBron’s circle. Paul has represented James since 2012 but has known him since before he entered the league. And he made it clear that while LeBron is a superstar, he’s not the puppet master many claim him to be.
MORE: Rich Paul Fires Back at Michael Jordan’s Agent
Still, narratives like this don’t just fade away — especially when trades like the one involving Anthony Davis and Luka Doncic happen. In one of the biggest moves of the season, Davis — James’ close friend, teammate, and fellow Klutch Sports client — was traded to Dallas for Doncic.
Even though reports said only the Mavericks and Lakers GMs knew about the trade ahead of time, rumors swirled that James had been the one to green-light the deal. LeBron later came out to deny those reports. Even Davis admitted he found it hard to believe no one else knew beforehand — but said he’d moved past it.
That blockbuster deal is a perfect example of how easily these narratives gain traction — and how they can impact the locker room. When one player is believed to have an outsized influence on an organization, every move can come with extra drama and blame — fair or not.