Brotherly Love: Rich Paul Talks New Balance, AC Runners, and Philly-Themed Klutch Athletics Collab

“When you grow up in Cleveland with the Browns like I did, you’re allowed to have two teams.”

In a room full of Philly fans, Rich Paul was keeping the crowd happy. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he was joking with podcast host, motivational speaker, and all-around beloved Philly celebrity Wallo and NCAA hooper, Brotherly Love local, and Klutch Athletics athlete Jalil Bethea.

Paul, Wallo, Bethea, and a crowd full of Philly hoop scene lifers, cheesesteak salesmen, at least one high school basketball team, and more packed into a Snipes location deep in North Philly to celebrate the release of Klutch Athletics and New Balance’s “The Best Come From Philly” campaign. Highlighted by two new Eagles-themed collab colorways of the New Balance AC Runner, the event offered Paul a chance to connect with the Philly community and expand the Klutch Athletics reign.

New Balance Coming Up Klutch

After kicking off The Best Come From Anywhere campaign with collections for Paul’s hometown, Cleveland, followed by packs for Los Angeles and Atlanta, the Philly version features an Eagles-colored mix to appease the notoriously harsh local fans. The regional collection and local release party are a perfect example of Paul’s outlook on the Klutch Athletics x New Balance collab, bringing authenticity, accessibility, and comfort to cities across the country.

“New Balance is succeeding just being authentic,” Paul told Sole Retriever. “They’ve never gone away from their true identity. And now, life happens, and everyone wants to be comfortable while being cool, and that fits right into New Balance’s wheelhouse. A lot of their silhouettes and series have yet to be displayed in people’s closets, and the way I think about it is how much of your closet space is taken up by New Balance? There’s room to grow.”

Rich Paul’s AC Runner Love

Like every part of his business, Paul isn’t shy about giving credit where it’s due. He doesn’t claim to have come up with the Philly-themed colorways of the AC Runner and matching clothing capsule, passing that kudos to his Klutch Athletics team, but after helping debut the silhouette with Klutch’s first New Balance sneaker collab, Paul didn’t mince words about his love for the silhouette and his hope for the future.

“I think there’s gonna be an evolution of AC Runners,” Paul told Sole Retriever. “This is probably gonna be the OG, but there’s a lot of ways to enhance this model. I was one of the first people to see it, and when I saw it, right away I knew that would do well. There’s a crossover to it, you can train in it, you can play in it, you can live in it, and now it’s just about the colorways.”

In a saturated sneaker industry, the Klutch Athletics x New Balance partnership is yet another push from New Balance’s renewed focus on performance athletics, including signature models for Shohei Ohtani and Philly star, and Rich Paul client, Tyrese Maxey. For Klutch, which sponsors athletes across the NIL and pro spectrum, the AC Runner channels Paul’s place in the industry, slotting in for pre-draft training, fan events, and any other off-court moments.

Will We See a Klutch Athletics x New Balance Maxey v1 Next?

Most people know Paul as LeBron James’ agent and confidant, but only one person in the crowd at Snipes was rocking a number 23 Sixers jersey. With New Balance on the mind, we were thinking about Paul’s other 76ers client and signature NB star, Tyrese Maxey. After all, Maxey did help Paul debut the two new Philly-themed AC Runner colorways. Will the Klutch Athletics x New Balance partnership stray from the AC Runner to bring in the all-new Maxey v1 to its collab ranks?

“I gotta ask ‘Rese to do that,” Paul said. “Maybe we will do a Klutch Athletics Maxey v1, but that’s up to him and the folks behind the scenes at the brand. I would love to see it.”

Considering his relationship with James and Maxey, his ownership stake in local sportswear giant Mitchell & Ness, and the city’s love for New Balance, it certainly seems like Paul is going to be spending a lot of time in Philly over the next few years, and if he wants to keep on making the city happy, a collaboration with Maxey feels like a lay-up.

Leaving the event, though, it was pretty clear that Paul already had Philly on his side. Now let’s just hope the Sixers get off to a hot start. This is the city that famously threw snowballs at Santa Claus, after all.

Zach Harris

Zach Harris is a writer based in Philadelphia. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Vice, Complex, High Times, and more. He is obsessed with skateboarding and bowling. He is still looking for his first 300. For tips, reviews, and anything in size 10.5 - zach.h@soleretriever.com