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Adele returned to the public eye after her six-year musical hiatus, and revealed the new man in her life.
The "When We Were Young" singer, 33, appeared in public with her boyfriend Rich Paul for the first time on July 17, 2021, when she and the sports agent attended Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Though the singer's appearance was a surprise to her fans, Paul, 40, often sits courtside at basketball games. The successful agent represents several NBA superstars, including Los Angeles Lakers players LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Since their first outing, the couple has been spotted out in several cities, eating out and attending friends' parties in Los Angeles, New York, and London. The pair went Instagram-official in September 2021, in a photo dump on Adele's page, which included a pic of them attending Davis' wedding. They also attended another NBA game last month, enjoying the season opener between the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors in L.A.
A post shared by Adele (@adele)
Adele opened up about her relationship with Paul in her intimate interview with Oprah Winfrey, revealing what drew her to the super agent.
"He's hilarious. He's very, very smart. It's quite incredible watching him do what he does. And just the easiness of it. It's been very smooth," she said, before noting that she was blushing at that moment.
The singer also said that the relationship is the first time she "loved [herself] and been open to loving and being loved by someone else."
Here's what we know about the super agent himself, and their relationship.
Cleveland, Ohio native Paul became a sports agent after meeting teenage LeBron James in 2002. The duo became close friends and confidants, with Paul working at Creative Artists Agency, under James's then-agent Leon Rose. He later struck out on his own, founding his agency Klutch Sports Group in 2012.
His all-star client list includes James, his Los Angeles Lakers teammate Anthony Davis, Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors player Draymond Green, and Lonzo Ball of the Chicago Bulls, among many others. Paul is also currently working on a memoir to be published by Roc Lit 101, the publishing division of Jay-Z's entertainment company Roc Nation.
A post shared by Rich Paul (@richpaul)
In an interview with Rolling Stone, the singer recalled that she and Paul met on a dance floor at a mutual friend’s birthday party years ago. She reconnected with the agent last spring, around the time her father passed. In August 2021, a source told E! that the relationship was a "bit of a whirlwind," and that the singer was comfortable with the relationship being more public.
"She's not as concerned about being private with her life because she's very happy with Rich," the source said. "[She's] enjoying learning about the sports world and meeting many of Rich's friends. She's going with it and is very happy."
The singer called the relationship with Paul the most "incredible, openhearted, and easiest" one she's ever been in, revealing that the agent has also met her son, Angelo. She also shared that the celebrity gossip account DeuxMoi outed the couple, with photos of the pair at a discount mall.
“I didn’t really tell many of my friends at the beginning because I wanted to keep it to myself,” she recalled. “None of them believed it!”
She also reflected on the growth she's experienced, both through self-discovery and healing after her divorce and her relationship with Paul.
"I’m not frightened of loneliness anymore," she said.
A post shared by Rich Paul (@richpaul)
On May 11, 2022 the singer shared an Instagram carrousel featuring photos of her and Paul's relationship. And one of the photos was of her and the sports agent standing in front of a white house holding up keys. So naturally, fans are now speculating that the two have bought a house together, though Adele has yet to give more details.
