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Sports Agents With Opportunities In The NBA

We have stressed this point many times on SportsAgentBlog.com – Don’t limit yourself to only pursuing a career in sports agency; there are not many good jobs out there in the profession, and there are a ridiculous number of people willing to do almost anything to break in.  That said, don’t lose your dream of becoming a sports agent just because the barrier of entry is high.  The best advice is to treat your career path like a stock portfolio.  Become diverse and offer more than just knowledge of the sports agent industry.  One way of expanding your horizons is by going to law school.

Who knows, you might just end up being an NBA General Manager or some other high-level executive within an NBA franchise.  You no longer have to be a former player, scout, or coach to get the high-level NBA job that many people dream of having.

Guys like Rich Cho, Lon Babby, David Kahn, and Jason Levien have changed the game in the NBA executive ranks, and I think the trend of hiring people with legal experience will continue.  And then there is the stat wiz, Daryl Morey, who does not have a legal background, but did graduate from M.I.T. (which has to count for something, right!).  In the future, will we see names like Joel Segal (Hofstra Law School), Tom Condon (Baltimore Law School), Ben Dogra (St. Louis University School of Law), Scott Boras (McGeorge School of Law), David Falk (George Washington University Law School), Arn Tellem (University of Michigan Law School), and Dan Fegan (Yale Law School) enter the mix of candidates for team executive position openings?

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.

3 replies on “Sports Agents With Opportunities In The NBA”

I totally agree. As much as I want to be an agent now, I am keeping my options open in terms of where I want to end up in the industry. Being a GM of a team or a high level executive would also be a pretty awesome job. Agent or not, the important thing is to get involved somehow with a field you love. Who knows? Maybe after holding a variety of jobs within the industry, one might end up becoming an agent after all. Most agents get to where they area through their own unique path. If you really want to make it to the agent business, create your own path. Be different, and have fun along the way.

This was a good example of how you can follow a passion in a number of different ways. Just as in many other industries, having experience on “both sides” of the table can help you. For people who want to be a sports agent, understanding how team executives work and think will help create an objective view of a situation.

As competitive as the sports industry is, having experience in a number of functions gives great experience that will help regardless of the future career path.

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