LeBron James-related memes are popular among fans. James is one of them; he is referred to as “LeGM” due to his purported authority over the franchises he has worked for. When the four-time champion joined the Los Angeles Lakers, the LeGM memes gained popularity.
Fans speculated that James was involved in the Lakers’ roster construction. Especially during the 2019-20 season, when the franchise assembled a team that eventually won the Larry O’Brien trophy. It didn’t stop there as the memes started pouring in when LA traded for Russell Westbrook in 2021.
However, James’ longtime agent, Rich Paul, confirmed that the NBA star and Klutch Sports don’t have control over which players get signed and traded by the Lakers. The agent revealed it on Monday’s episode of “Game Over Podcast with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul.”
“I see people say, ‘They don’t run the Lakers.’ We never ran the Lakers,” Paul said. “That was never a thing.
Rich Paul says Klutch Sports has never called the shots for the Lakers during the LeBron era
“We never ran the lakers… We had and continue to have a great partnership with the Lakers but it’s not like you would think.”
(h/t @NBA__Courtside)pic.twitter.com/omLqAyAPoZ
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) December 29, 2025
“We had and continue to have a great partnership with the Lakers but it’s not like what you would think. By the way, I don’t want that responsibility.”
Although the Lakers have signed other Klutch Sports players aside from LeBron James in the past, it isn’t an indication that they had power over the franchise at some point.
Rich Paul disagreed with LeBron James mingling with the Phoenix Suns players
Rich Paul opened up about his thoughts on LeBron James mingling with the Phoenix Suns bench. It happened during the Lakers’ 125-108 Dec. 1 loss. At one point, coach JJ Redick was trying to call James’ attention, but the NBA star was busy talking to the Suns’ bench.
After that, Paul revealed that he didn’t think it was a smart thing for James to do that, after Kellerman brought it up.
“We talked on this show about how I didn’t like how he was fraternizing with the Phoenix Suns in that game,” Kellerman said.
“Right, I didn’t either, so we move on. But he’s earned the right,” Paul replied.
But even if Paul disagreed with LeBron James, the agent believes that he’s earned the right to do what he wants on the floor.
