They say that success attracts success, and it’s hard to find two people who are flying higher in their chosen vocations than Adele and Rich Paul. She, of course, is a 33-year-old pop superstar who is currently batting 1.000 on her 15 Grammy nominations, while he is the 40-year-old founder of the Klutch Sports agency who represents NBA stars like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Draymond Green.
Adele is relatively private for one of the world’s most famous musicians, so when she was spotted on July 17 at Game 5 of the NBA Finals with Paul, it instantly sparked public curiosity. News of their relationship was broken a few days later by Page Six, and they were spotted on another date in New York on July 24. NBA insider and LeBron whisperer Brian Windhorst even seemed to confirm the couple’s status on a podcast appearance.
Since then, they’ve popped up several times, including at Anthony Davis’ September 18th wedding in Beverly Hills, where they were described as “a nice couple” by a cousin of Davis’ new wife. Adele went on to make things Instagram Official by posting a shot of the pair at the wedding.
But the first hint of the relationship probably appeared in a blind item in the unlikely venue of the New Yorker, which published a May 31 profile of Paul containing the following exchange:
One afternoon in Beverly Hills, Paul and I walked into his living room with [Adam] Mendelsohn. “She was over yesterday,” Paul said.
Mendelsohn [an advisor to Paul and LeBron James] clarified whom he meant, dropping the name of a major pop star. “Doing what?” he asked.
“Hanging out,” Paul replied.
“Why are you hanging out?” Mendelsohn asked.
“Why not?” Paul replied.
I wasn’t entirely sure whether this exchange was for my benefit.
Paul said, “I’m not dating, I’m single. Put that in the story.” He laughed for the first time all day.
Last fall, Adele (who split from her husband of seven years in 2019) made headlines when people speculated she was dating U.K. rapper Skepta, but she rebuffed those rumors in an October 28 Instagram post following her appearance as Saturday Night Live host.
Paul, who also made the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2019, has become one of the most famous agents ever in part thanks to his relationship with James, with whom he’s been close since 2002. Because his non-traditional path into the business challenges the status quo and he’s shown a willingness to push the boundaries of player power, Paul has earned a disruptor’s reputation in the sports world.
This summer, he’s been in the news via his client Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers’, who recently said he won’t report for training camp after a protracted feud with his team. (He’s also being sued by former client Nerlens Noel, who famously turned down a mammoth contract in order to enter free agency, and was then forced to settle for a much smaller deal.)
But Paul and Adele certainly seem to be enamored with each other. It’s just a shame they didn’t get together in time for Adele to contribute a song to the Space Jam: A New Legacy soundtrack.