Paul also put the work in. He had to know what he was selling, so he drove to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in nearby Canton, Ohio, to learn about the greats who had come before his time. He lent the jerseys to friends to wear to the nightclubs where they talked up his product and handed out his cards.

James was often seen in vintage Joe Namaths or Magic Johnsons, and Paul always had a pile with them as they traveled the A.A.U. circuit. The jerseys that he was buying from Hyman for $160 were flying out of his trunk for $300, and soon he had $15,000 a week in revenue. Hyman was onboard, and the search for a store location was on.

It did not get far. Not long after the Cavaliers drafted James out of high school with their top pick in the 2003 N.B.A. draft, he handed a paycheck over to Paul. It was Paul’s first two weeks of a $50,000 annual salary, to do what, exactly, neither of them knew. “He told me that he really didn’t have a job for me, but that he wanted me close and we’d figure it out,” Paul said.

Maverick Carter and Randy Mims, two lifelong friends of James’s, were also put on the payroll, and the “Four Horsemen” were born. They had a signature handshake, and they put a silhouette of a knight on their tennis shoes. They promised one another that they would be more than an entourage or posse. They did not know how yet, but James said he knew that he was making a sound investment.

Image Autographed copies of Sports Illustrated are displayed at Paul’s Cleveland-based company, Klutch Sports Group.

“It wasn’t, can we have a few dollars and go out and buy something,” James said. “They looked at it like an opportunity and said, hey, he believes in me, let’s go out and do something.”

The Four Horsemen

Paul worked to make himself useful any way he could. Before professional fashion stylists became a vital part of an N.B.A. star’s entourage, Paul handled those duties for James. He helped James rehearse for his Nike commercials, suggesting ways for him to be funnier.