Rumor has it Adele had a fire starting in her heart long before she and Rich Paul went public with their courtside courtship.
The superstar and sports agent cozied up while attending the NBA Finals on July 17, which quickly sparked speculation that the pair are an item. A source told E! News that Adele is indeed dating LeBron James' agent, with another source confirming they went to the game "together."
Some fans were surprised to see the Grammy winner's new man step into the spotlight, as she hasn't admitted to dating anyone after reaching her divorce settlement with Simon Konecki in March. (She and Simon share 8-year-old son Angelo Adkins.)
However, a closer reading of a recent interview seemed to hint at the new couple's romance more than a month ago. The New Yorker's Isaac Chotiner spoke with Rich for an article published on May 31, in which Rich admitted he was hanging out with a "major pop star," in Isaac's words.
Isaac explained that he was in Rich's living room in Beverly Hills with both Rich and political consultant Adam Mendelsohn.
"She was over yesterday," Rich said, as Adam "clarified whom he meant, dropping the name of a major pop star," according to Isaac.
Rich said the pop star was just "hanging out." When Adam asked, "Why are you hanging out?" Rich replied, "Why not?"
The New Yorker didn't reveal the name nor gender of the musician. Isaac noted, "I wasn't entirely sure whether this exchange was for my benefit."
Interestingly enough, Rich was also adamant that he was officially a free agent at the time. "I'm not dating, I'm single. Put that in the story," he said while laughing.
After photos spread of Adele and Rich chilling at the recent NBA game, Isaac popped on to Twitter to resurface that part of his article. "Here's one little tidbit from the profile I wrote in May of sports agent Rich Paul," he wrote mysteriously about this unnamed pop star.
Since then, it seems Rich has officially said "Hello" to a new relationship with Adele. While she keeps quiet about her dating life, he was previously linked to another public figure: Tobey Maguire's estranged wife, jewelry designer Jennifer Meyer.
E! News has reached out to reps for Adele and Rich for comment, as neither person has addressed the romance publicly.