SHAKER HEIGHTS — Twenty years after the Cavaliers picked LeBron James first overall , fellow Akron native Chris Livingston is hoping to become a chosen one in the NBA Draft.
Livingston decided to enter the June 22 draft after playing one season at the University of Kentucky, and he signed with Klutch Sports Group, the agency founded by Rich Paul that represents James .
On Friday, Paul promoted the launch of the Klutch Athletics sportswear brand he founded and then joined with New Balance in a partnership. After a question-and-answer session moderated by David Creech, a former Nike executive who has united with Klutch, Paul took questions from the audience and spoke to media at Xhibition.
When the Beacon Journal asked about Livingston , Paul said, "Chris is great."
Paul also described the 19-year-old Livingston as someone who believes in himself. A former Buchtel High School, Western Reserve Academy and Oak Hill Academy star, Livingston is 56th in ESPN's pre-draft rankings . He started 26 of his 34 games as a Kentucky freshman and averaged 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds.
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"I think ultimately the future is bright for Chris," Paul said. "He's going to be an NBA guy, but, you know, they're young. All these guys coming out in the draft are very young guys. And so trying to put pressure on them to be somebody in one year that they're probably not going to be is not something I do.
"But seeing the willingness to work, obviously the skill set and the talent is there and the ability to want to be developed. When you have those things, you have that character and you build on great habits, things tend to work out for you. So I'm excited for Chris' family, and I'm in it for the long haul with him, so I think he'll be fine."
Paul was coy when he was asked about his most famous client, James , saying he would contemplate retirement after he and the Los Angeles Lakers were swept last month by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.
Is anything going on with James ?
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"Outside of enjoying wine and probably the French Riviera, I don't think so," Paul said. "I don't know."
Does Paul expect Jame s to play in the 2023-24 season?
"I have an expectation just as you do, so we'll see," Paul said.
Paul was much more forthcoming about Klutch's apparel arm, explaining the pursuit of the endeavor has been one of his dreams since his childhood in Cleveland. He said the gear will be available in "a hundred stores" next month.
"I've always been passionate about just fashion and sport and the next new sneaker and all those things," Paul said. "And so this is authentic. This is not a money play. This is something that's extremely authentic to me, and I'm passionate. It's something I'm really passionate about."
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Rich Paul of Klutch Sports touts Arkon Chris Livingston's NBA chops
