Adele and Rich Paul attend the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 20, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Kevin Mazur/GI
There’s a fire starting in her heart — but instead of rolling in the deep, Adele has spent the past few years rolling up to basketball games, A-list wedding ceremonies and red-carpet events with Rich Paul.
The vocal powerhouse first shocked the world with news of her relationship in summer 2021, when she made a rare public appearance at a Phoenix Suns basketball game in July. Though that much-talked-about evening was one of the first times fans had seen one of history’s best-selling musical acts since she released her third studio album 25 six years prior, it was also so much more than a toe-dip back into the spotlight. Why? Because she took her seat in the crowd with Paul, an Ohio-based sports agent, close by her side.
That night was the beginning of their public-yet-private relationship — but before then, Adele had long become world famous for belting soulful, fiery ballads about devastating heartbreak and had spent much of 2019 as the subject of headlines scrutinizing her divorce from ex-husband Simon Konecki, with whom she shares her only child Angelo. Her album 30, which arrived in November 2021, is predominantly themed around her experiences processing and recovering from the relationship with her son.
No matter how it felt for her at the time, though, the pain Adele felt while writing the songs on 30 eventually yielded to a new romance, thanks to Paul. Only time will tell if the basketball entrepreneur one day inspires a record full of love songs, but for now, take a look at his and Adele’s love story below.
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Adele and Rich first meet (approx. 2019)
According to Vogue‘s October profile on Adele, she and Rich first met at a party “a couple years ago.” “He was always there, I just didn’t see him,” she’d told the publication. “I was a bit drunk. I said: Do you want to sign me? I’m an athlete now.”
“He was dancing,” she added. “All the other guys were just sitting around. He was just dancing away.”
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Rich hints he’s “hanging out” with Adele (May 2021)
While being interviewed for a May New Yorker profile on Rich’s innovations in the basketball business, the sports mogul reportedly said in front of the writer that he was “hanging out” with “a major pop star.” “She was over yesterday,” Paul revealed, before adding: “I’m not dating, I’m single. Put that in the story.”
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First public appearance (July 2021)
Image Credit: Christian Petersen/GI Adele and Paul debuted their connection to the public via an appearance courtside at the first of many basketball game dates. Sitting side by side, the couple were spotted at game 5 of the NBA Finals in Phoenix, where they watched as the Phoenix Suns went head to head with the Milwaukee Bucks.
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Source confirms they’re dating (July 2021)
Soon after the pair’s NBA Finals date night, a source confirmed to People that the couple had been in a relationship for “a few months.” “She’s been a lot more social and opened up quite a bit,” the source reportedly said about Adele.
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Instagram official (September 2021)
After several months, Adele finally made her and Paul’s relationship status Instagram official. Sharing a black and white photo booth snapshot taken at Anthony Davis and Marlen P’s L.A. wedding, the Grammy winner simply captioned her post with a red heart emoji.
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Adele gushes to ‘Vogue’ (October 2021)
After revealing the story of how she and Paul first met, Adele then gushed to Vogue about how well things were going between her and her new boyfriend. “He’s just so f–king funny,” she told the publication. “I don’t feel anxious or nervous or frazzled. It’s quite the opposite. It’s wild.”
“I didn’t mean to go public with it,” she added, commenting on her first public with Paul at the NBA Finals. “I just wanted to go to the game. I just love being around him. I just love it. He was like, What are people going to say? And I was like, ‘That you signed me. As an athlete. You’re my agent.’ And he was like, ‘Okay, cool.’”
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Adele opens up to Oprah (November 2021)
During her One Night Only special with Oprah Winfrey, Adele opened up once again about how happy Paul makes her. “He’s just hilarious. And very smart. It’s quite incredible watching him do what he does,” she told Winfrey also sharing that she’s experiencing the first time she’s ever “loved myself and been open to loving and being loved by someone else.”
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Adele confirms they’re still together (February 2022)
The “Easy On Me” singer made sure everyone knew she and her boyfriend were still going strong in a February Instagram post, including at the end of her caption: “Oh, and Rich sends his love.”
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Engagement rumors swirl (February 2022)
Image Credit: Harry How/GI While attending the BRIT Awards in February, Adele’s left hand was distinctly bare, save for a glittering diamond band on her ring finger. Naturally, many were quick to assume she and Paul had made plans to tie the knot — not that Adele had any intention of confirming or denying. “As if I would ever tell anyone if I was or wasn’t,” she said of engagement rumors on The Graham Norton Show.
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Adele shares intimate photos of life with Rich (May 2022)
Adele treated followers to a rare glimpse into her personal life with a romantic Instagram post featuring four photos of her and Paul posing in front of their house, laughing at a McDonald’s counter, watching a game together and sharing a kiss backstage at an event. “Time flies,” she captioned the post.
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The couple attends Kevin Love’s wedding (June 2022)
Adele and Paul were one of several power couples in attendance at Kevin Love’s wedding to Kate Bock on June 25, where the two were photographed smiling alongside Paul’s client and friend Lebron James and his wife Savannah James.
Adele and Rich Paul last Saturday at the wedding of basketball player Kevin Love. pic.twitter.com/9OC8yre2EF
— Adele Daily (@adeledailynet) June 28, 2022
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Adele confirms she’s engaged (August 2024)
Adele casually confirmed her engagement to Rich during one of her residency shows in Munich, when she read aloud a fan’s sign that said, “Will you marry me?”
“I can’t marry you, ’cause I’m already getting married,” she replied, showing off her wedding-band hand as the crowd cheered.