Damson Idris has another project coming our way! And this time, he won’t be playing a drug kingpin like Franklin Saint. Instead, he’s going the route of putting Black excellence on the screen. During an interview with The Breakfast Club, Damson said he’ll be portraying sports agent and entrepreneur Rich Paul.
On Wednesday, The Breakfast Club released a short snippet of the full interview, available on Thursday, to their verified Instagram account. The nearly two-minutes-long video begins with Damson explaining his acting role preferences following a question from show host DJ Envy. He said he loves “playing real people,” before rattling off a short list that includes Eddie Murphy.
Damson As Rich Paul
“Do you know who Rich Paul is,” Damson asked the show hosts. “Yeah, I’m bout to play Rich Paul.”
And it looks like Rich has given Damson his blessing for the role and sharing the news.
“He called me. He was like tell the world,” Damson said. “And I think we should. It’s time we start cherishing Black moguls and Rich is someone that people need to know.”
Who Is Rich Paul?
For those who aren’t aware, Rich has a modern rags-to-riches story that began in his hometown Cleveland, Ohio. At 21, he was selling vintage jerseys from the trunk of his car, per ESPN. One day, a junior in high school approached Rich at the Akron-Canton Airport in Ohio. The junior asked Rich about the authentic Warren Moon Houston Oilers jersey Rich was wearing at the time. This curious 17-year-old turned out to be LeBron James headed to the 2002 NCAA Final Four in Atlanta. And that interaction later blossomed into a friendship between Rich and LeBron.
When LeBron was drafted by the National Basketball League (NBA), he hired Rich. At first, there was no concrete plan. Rich was in charge of putting together club events and networking. Later, Rich along with Maverick Carter and Randy Rims formed a marketing firm for LeBron called LRMR.
But he later left the firm to recruit for sports agent Leon Rose and Creative Artists Agency (CAA). After gathering valuable experience, which included participating at negotiations with Nike, Rich made a shocking move in September 2012. He suddenly left Leon and CAA to form his own agency, Klutch Sports Group. One of his first clients was none other than LeBron James.
In December 2020, Klutch Sports Group had over $58 million in commissions with 49 clients, according to Forbes.
Damson’s Excitement
While speaking to The Breakfast Club hosts, Damson seemed to express excitement to be playing Rich.
“This guy has completely changed the game. I’m happy and fortunate to call him a big brother and I can’t wait to honor his story,” Damson said.
This story also includes influencing NCAA policy. In 2019, the organization released a memo listing new requirements for agent eligibility when representing college athletes considering the NBA Draft early, according to The Athletic. One of the requirements was a bachelor’s degree, which Rich did not have.
With folks dubbing the policy ‘The Rich Paul Rule,’ the agent penned an op-ed piece breaking down the limits of the policy. Six hours after the piece went live on The Athletic, the NCAA took back the bachelor’s degree requirement.
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