Rich Paul Max Kellerman on Game Over podcast
Credit: Game Over Podcast on YouTube
When Max Kellerman resurfaced from his ESPN exile with a podcast at The Ringer last year, he did so with quite an unusual cohost.
Flanking Kellerman on Game Over was Rich Paul, the founder of super agency Klutch Sports and the longtime representative of LeBron James. Paul won the job despite having no previous media experience, and quickly began to ruffle feathers by using the show to disseminate takes on his NBA clients and their teammates. Game Over was added to The Ringer’s offering on Netflix and seemingly given greater production support than most of the network’s shows.
The frustration among NBA fans and within the media industry grew loud enough that Bill Simmons addressed the backlash earlier this year, saying, “part of the game seems (to be) for people listening, what’s he trying to say? Is he carrying the agenda for someone else? And it’s been fascinating to watch from afar.”
Game Over still has just 17,000 followers on Spotify, and its video audience is not reported by Netflix. The show breaks through mostly only when it covers James, given Paul’s obvious ties to the NBA legend. During James’ free agency this summer, Paul’s viral whiteboard breakdown was the type of performative insight that Simmons was excited by.
Yet since James made his decision and particularly since the start of the NFL season, Paul has almost disappeared from Game Over. The Klutch boss has appeared just five times since the NFL kicked off, and has not been on an episode since Oct. 8. Kellerman’s preferred fill-in host, LeSean McCoy, has logged the same number of appearances as Paul during football season on the thrice-weekly podcast.
In September, one Paul absence was addressed in an episode description, which shared that Kellerman was solo while Paul traveled. Since then, guests and fill-in hosts have come and gone with no explanation.
Did Paul’s responsibilities as one of the most prolific agents in sports catch up with him? Did his commentary on Game Over start to catch up with Klutch’s business or the interests of his clients? Or did he just get bored? It’s hard to say, but it is notable that it took just one year before the heavily promoted show lost steam and its non-traditional cohost burned out.
Though basketball was obviously his strong suit, Paul was never terrible talking football or opining on the sports news of the day. Game Over was a decent listen because Kellerman is a generationally gifted broadcaster. The “game” that Simmons alluded to was certainly part of the show’s appeal, too. But it often felt less like a fun game and more like being manipulated by a rich guy. It was hard to shake the feeling that Paul, fresh off the press tour for his memoir, simply got the same podcasting itch as so many other celebrities in recent years.
Whether Paul is formally stepping back from Game Over or on some kind of hiatus, the show has even less purpose without him. Kellerman is engaging, but has always been better with a supporting cast. Recurring, general sports talk podcasts are a dime a dozen. The value proposition for the audience has never made nearly as much sense as the value proposition for Paul himself.