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Sports Agents

Brad Ames Of Priority Sports Talks Basketball

Brad AmesPriority Sports just had a very successful NFL Draft, but the company also has an extremely strong basketball division.  One of its top basketball agents is Brad Ames, who along with Mark Bartelstein and Aaron Mintz represent players worth more than $300 million altogether in money remaining on their contracts.  Ames is the primary agent for a lot of Priority’s overseas clients and recently talked with a foreign website about a variety of topics, including the business of being a sports agent.  Here’s a taste…

heinnews: Maybe talk about how you became an agent and what someone needs to do the job.

Ames: I was fortunate to start working with Priority Sports while I was in college, and joining a growing company allowed me to choose which aspect of the business I wanted to pursue after getting exposure to the basketball, football, and marketing operations.  When I started, Kurt Warner had just won his first Super Bowl, which gave the agency a lot of recognition.  I’ve been here for 8 years, and Kurt Warner just went to another Super Bowl.  Our basketball division has grown a lot during that time.

Representing players is obviously a people-oriented business.  Good interpersonal and presentation skills are necessary, and organization is important.  You have to be able to develop meaningful business and personal relationships with people from all walks of life.  It’s helpful to love basketball and to enjoy playing a part in helping people reach their goals.

heinnews: The NBA used to be ruled by guys like big agents like David Falk. How has the power shifted in the world of agents?

Ames: There are still a handful of agents who are considered the power players in the NBA.  There are major differences between them, and with consolidation, buy-outs, mergers, and agents getting in and out of the business, it is a constantly changing dynamic.  Some of the top agencies put a major emphasis on recruiting and representing as many draft picks as they can at the expense of providing the right level of service to each player.  Our focus is to find the players who fit our culture and we can develop long term relationships with.

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.