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Amid LeBron James' free agency run, the former Los Angeles Lakers star forward got Philadelphia 76ers fans' hopes up when he said three words during a recent public appearance at Fanatics Fest last week.
Maybe LeBron James didn't realize that speaking the words "trust the process" would cause such an uproar, considering he's been heavily linked to the Sixers over the past few weeks.
Or, maybe he did, but LeBron immediately addressed his questionable choice of words after getting a strong crowd reaction, pouring cold water on the idea that he was dropping hints about his next landing spot.
And if that wasn't enough to put out the fire, then his agent and close friend Rich Paul completely extinguished it during his most recent 'Game Over' episode with Max Kellerman.
Rich Paul gets real on 'Trust the Process'
"That's a negative thing... That's not a positive thing," Paul said regarding the idea of the Sixers' "process" days.
"Trust the process wasn't a positive thing for an organization. That was the worst thing you could do for an organization. That doesn't make sense. Trust the process was a negative thing. It was the worst thing you could do for an organization."
This might be the first time during LeBron's free-agent run that Paul didn't positively back the Sixers.
It was clear throughout the episode that the superagent wanted to make it clear that LeBron's mind is not made up, and nobody is truly in the know. Shooting down the supposed Fanatics Fest easter eggs is just a part of the Klutch process, I guess.
While Paul clearly isn't a fan of the true meaning behind the Sixers' famous slogan, it's not necessarily a negative thing in the race for LeBron.
At this point, the founders behind the whole "trust the process" era are out of the building. Sam Hinkie stepped down in 2016 and hasn't worked in an NBA front office since.
Even the folks who took over after Hinkie are long gone. At this point, the Sixers have a revamped front office that includes former Cleveland Cavaliers GM Mike Gansey and ex-NBA guard Jameer Nelson.
Paul's recent comments might come off as a bad look for the 76ers' organization, which continues to embrace the idea of the process, but it's not a big deal. The Sixers have been painted in a positive light throughout the LeBron pursuit enough.
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This article was originally published on thesixersense.com as Rich Paul shut down one major LeBron James-76ers theory .
