Who Is Adele's Boyfriend? All About Rich Paul

For Adele and sports agent Rich Paul, theirs is love not Game.

The couple first sparked romance rumors in July 2021 when they attended Game 5 of the NBA Finals together. A source confirmed to PEOPLE at the time that the award-winning singer had been dating Paul for “a few months.”

“I didn’t want to go public with it. I just wanted to go to the game,” she said Vogue in November 2021. “I just love being around him. He’s great. He’s so freaking funny. He’s so smart, you know.”

Since their first public outing, the two have hung out at multiple basketball games, taken a romantic vacation to Italy and attended the 2023 Super Bowl — where they sat in the VIP section with JAY-Z and Paul McCartney.

In September 2023, marriage rumors began to swirl after Adele called Paul her “husband” during one of her concerts in Las Vegas. A month later, Gayle King subtly asked Paul to confirm the rumors in an interview with CBS Morning.

“When I see her, should I say ‘Hi, Mrs. Paul?’ “, King asked, to which he replied, “You can say whatever you want.

So who is the man receiving Adele’s the sweetest devotion? From meeting LeBron James to becoming one of the most powerful sports agents in the industry, here’s everything you need to know about Rich Paul and his relationship with Adele.

He is the founder of a sports agency

Rich Paul. Allen Berezovsky/Getty

While Adele is a powerhouse in the music industry, Paul is a staunch figure on the sports scene.

As the founder of Klutch Sports Group, Paul represents some of the biggest names in basketball — including James, Ben Simmons and Trae Young.

Known for tough deals, he oversaw the New Orleans Pelicans trade of Anthony Davis to the 2020 championship-winning Los Angeles Lakers.

IN The New Yorker profile published in May 2021, Paul was described by an NBA general manager as “absolutely relentless in getting his players what they want, and he will use any means available to him to do so.”

He is from Cleveland, Ohio

Although Paul now calls Beverly Hills home, he was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where his late father, Rich Sr., owned a corner store called R & J Confectionery.

Paul enrolled at the University of Akron, but transferred to Cleveland State when Rich Sr. was diagnosed with colon cancer. He dropped out of college a few months after his father’s death.

“He always told me that my education was important,” Paul said The New Yorker his father. “I always wanted to work. But I still probably would have finished school if my father was alive. I never wanted to let him down.”

He dreamed of being an athlete

LeBron James (L) and Rich Paul. Jerritt Clark/Getty

In his profile with The New YorkerPaul said he “definitely wanted to be an athlete” growing up, but knew he had to think outside the box to find a career in sports.

“Your heart is big and I’m small,” he said, explaining that he started to think like his father “as an entrepreneur and a businessman.”

In 2022, he met his first — and arguably biggest — client, James, while they were both waiting for a flight to Atlanta at the Akron-Canton airport. At the time, Paul was selling vintage sports jerseys, and the authentic Houston Oilers jersey he was wearing impressed James.

Paul started working with James shortly after the basketball player was selected to the NBA. Along with James and his childhood friends Maverick Carter and Randy Mims, Paul and the group became known as the Four Horsemen.

I just felt like Rich was someone I wanted to grow with, James said ESPN magazine 2012 “He was always real with me and I wanted him down there with my team.”

He has three children

Little is known about Paul’s relationships before he started dating Adele. However, in the June 2022 interview with S Hey! News, he was talking about three children. He also said that he is ready to have more children.

“As a young dad, growing the business … was quite difficult,” he said. “But now, looking like an older father, if I were to have more children, I’m looking forward to being a different father.”

Paul added, “A lot of times when you’re building a business, you’re on the go, you’re moving, the kids grow up quickly in the blink of an eye. The next thing, you know, they’re walking, and they’re biking and running and running around, and that’s a problem.”

In May 2024, Paul’s daughter Reonna graduated from Clark Atlanta University. Adele couldn’t be there to witness the milestone, but she did say hello to her “stepdaughter” during one of her concerts in Las Vegas. “I love you, dear. Congratulations,” she told the crowd.

He learned the trade in a powerful agency

After joining James’ inner circle, Paul began working under Leon Rose at the Creative Artists Agency. During his time there, he made strong connections and developed lasting relationships that eventually helped him launch his own agency, Klutch Sports Group, in 2012.

“I had excellent instruction,” said Paul in his ESPN magazine profile. “Working with Nike and at CAA is like going to Michigan Law School and MIT.”

He helped change the NCAA rules

Rich Paul. Allen Berezovsky/Getty

In August 2019, Paul made headlines when the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) changed its regulations requiring agents to have a bachelor’s degree. The change came shortly after Paul successfully negotiated a contract for high school prospect Darius Bazley to intern for New Balance instead of playing college basketball for Syracuse University.

Dubbed by many as the “Rich Paul Rule,” the NCAA withdrew the new regulation a week later after a sports agent wrote a commentary in Atlantic saying the change “prevents young people from less prestigious backgrounds, and often people of color, from working in a system they continue to control.”

He was previously linked to Tobey Maguire’s ex-wife Jennifer Meyer

A source told PEOPLE that before going public with his romance with Adele, Paul was in a serious relationship with Tobey Maguire’s ex-wife, Jennifer Meyer. The two were first linked at the end of 2018.

He met Adele at a party

Adele and Rich Paul. Christian Petersen/Getty

In the aforementioned interview with S. 2021 VogueAdele revealed that she met Paul at a party a few years ago.

– I was a little drunk – she revealed. “I said, ‘Do you want to sign me? I’m an athlete now.‘”

Adele added: “He was dancing. All the other guys were just sitting there. He was just dancing.”

He is writing a memoir

According to The Hollywood ReporterRoc Lit 101 — the publishing arm of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and an imprint of Random House — has acquired Paul’s life story for an upcoming memoir.

Addressed Lucky methe book will document Paul’s upbringing in Cleveland and his rise as a sports agent.

“Lucky me is more than my story,” said Paul in March 2021. “Lucky me is the story of every young black man who grew up like me. I want to use my story to uplift and inspire those who have lived through this and educate those who haven’t. I can’t tell you what it means to partner with my friend and mentor Jay-Z on this project. Lucky me was the title of the book before I even talked to Jay because his music was the soundtrack of my life.”

Adele thinks he’s “funny”

During Adele’s November 2021 CBS special headlined by Oprah Winfrey Adele One Night Onlythe “Easy on Me” singer shared one of her favorite things about Paul.

“He’s so funny,” she said. “Oh, he’s so funny… and very smart. It’s amazing to watch him do what he does.”

Adele serenaded him on his 41st birthday

In December 2022, Paul celebrated his birthday with Adele in Las Vegas. The “Someone Like You” singer took a few moments during her concert at Caesars Palace to sing “Happy Birthday” to a sports agent in the audience.

“I love you more than life itself – we wish you a happy birthday,” Adele said from the stage.

He attended the 2023 Grammy Awards with Adele

Rich Paul and Adele. Johnny Nunez/Getty

Paul joined Adele at the 65th Grammy Awards, where she won Best Pop Solo Performance for her song “Easy on Me.”

The founder of the sports agency wore a tuxedo to the event, while Adele was seen in an off-the-shoulder burgundy Louis Vuitton dress.

During her acceptance speech, the singer shared Paul’s advice: “if you win something, don’t cry.”

Then she added, “And here I am crying.”

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Source: HIS Education