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You Tellem, Rose

Derrick RoseI am not shocked to read the plethora of clippings that claim Derrick Rose is done with his workout tour after only showing his skills off to the Bulls.  I was also not blown away when I read Rose politicking more than Barack Obama and John McCain in an effort to have Chicago sign the hometown boy with the first overall pick.  In fact, with all the recent publicity that Rose, his family, and his agents are receiving, I was most surprised to read this,

“When I signed with (agent) Arn Tellem, we were in a room,” Rose said. “He was like, ‘Which team do you want to play for?’ And he was like, ‘I know your hometown.’ Everybody in the room started laughing because we thought it was impossible. That night when the Bulls got the No. 1 pick, I was looking at the TV like this can’t be true.”

Arn Tellem?  But B.J. Armstrong is Rose’s primary agent.  Sure, Arn is also an agent at WMG and probably shares adjacent office space to B.J., but all previous signs seemed to show that B.J. was in control of this situation from day one.  I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing B.J. Armstrong and hope to follow up with him again sometime soon.  In the interview, this dialogue went down:

Me: Is there any particular reason that Derrick Rose picked you as his primary agent over Arn Tellem?

BJ Armstrong: Again, I think that Derrick chose me largely because I played in Chicago and he grew up in Chicago watching me play. There was a time in Chicago where I played on some pretty good teams. The things that happened in that city as he was growing up probably left a mark on him. Again, I believe that I was the beneficiary of good timing. Derrick and I even played the same position. Sometimes things just line up…you can’t plan it. I think we just had a few similarities in our background that made it all work out for a lot of different reasons.

Interesting that Arn was never mentioned.  It seems like good old Arn may have had more to do with Rose’s bond to WMG than I had originally assumed.  Anyway, it seems like it is almost a lock that Rose will be the first name called next week.  I cannot wait to share the joy with B.J. and the WMG family.  They have quite a team and a solid young talent in B.J. who will be sure to continue to make headlines in the future.

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.

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