Categories
Endorsements NBA Players

NBA News & Notes

15 trades overall in the NBA draft. The Knicks and Trail Blazers are getting hammered for their decisions, but we’ll leave that discussion to the so-called analysts. The fact that there were 15 trades in the draft brings me thinking back to an article by the Sports Law Blog [The Legality of Oral Promises by NBA GMs to Potential NBA Draft Picks]. With many oral promises made by NBA GMs to potential picks before each NBA draft, there must be some promises broken when 15 trades occur. As the Sports Law Blog mentions, many underclassmen may decide whether to stay and extra year in school or go pro based on these oral promises, that do not seem very gauranteed in the event of a 15 trade draft. Based on the fact that this past draft had a lot of movement and that future drafts will probably follow suit, it may be advantageous for future pros to workout for as many teams as possible (not only the teams that make oral promises) and for college athletes to not put all of their eggs in one basket by basing their decision to go pro solely on the premise of gaining these oral promises. The Sports Law Blog goes on to talk about the legality of breaking these oral promises.

On to the sports business news:

This may not be a fun endorsement to seeSteve Nash is now endorsed by Clearly Canadian, a beverage company out of Canada (surprise, surprise). He’s locked up to a 3-year deal where the Average Joe will have to painfully see Steve Nash’s face on Clearly Canadian drinks and on stand-ups in grocery stores. Clearly Canadian competes with Gatoraid and hopes to take a good amount of market share by creating the agreement with Steve Nash. Good luck.

Adam Morrison has already signed with EA Sports, Addidas, and had his suit from draft day cut up afterwards to appear on future Topps trading cards. How much do I have to pay for a clipping of his stache?

Agent News:

Arn Tellem represents 6 first-round draft picks. He is now part of the Casey Wasserman Media Group (WMG) in Los Angeles, California. Tellem’s shift to WMG from SFX is very similar to Tom Condon’s shift to CAA from IMG. These old marketing and media content businesses that have historically stayed away from the business of sports are starting to gain a huge market share in the business with the addition of superstar agents to their rosters. Look for the trend to continue.

Leon Rose/Antonio Ricciotti is the agent for the first overall pick, Andrea Bargnani.

[tags]nba, nba draft, endorsements, adam morrison, steve nash, knicks, trail blazers, andrea bargnani, arn tellem[/tags]

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

One reply on “NBA News & Notes”

[…] These facts provide an interesting foray into the post made by Rick Karcher at the Sports Law Blog today [Hollywood Talent Firm Consolidates Sports Agent Biz]. With consolidation in the old Sports Agent world creating powerhouses such as SFX, Octagon, and IMG, Scott Boras was still able to dominate America’s pasttime throughout all of the mergers and buyouts. It seems that he is able to continue to maintain his dominance in the industry even as the tide has changed recently. Major consolidation has turned into massive consolidation as Hollywood talent agencies have begun to enter the Sports Agent world and acquire big names from the old consolidated big players (ex: IMG). These new companies have been highlighted in this blog: CAA, WMG, etc. […]

Comments are closed.