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Headline NBA Players

NBA Rookie Transition Program Postponed

While powerful NBA agents are lobbying National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Executive Director Billy Hunter to decertify the union, team owners are busy plotting their next moves (or lack thereof).  Negotiations between players and owners have been, and will continue to be, very slow moving.  In the meantime, NBA-related events and opportunities will be cancelled.  Eventually it could mean the cancellation of many regular season games.

A few days ago, Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports Tweeted that the NBA Rookie Transition Program, which had been scheduled to take place between August 9-11, 2011, is postponed due to the NBA lockout.  This was not surprising, much like it was not surprising when the NFL cancelled its annual Rookie Symposium.

The NFL Players Association eventually decided to step in and create its own version of the Rookie Symposium, and called it “The Business of Football: Rookie Edition.”  While the NBA has stated that its Rookie Transition Program will be rescheduled once a new collective bargaining agreement is signed, perhaps the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) will take a page out of the NFLPA’s playboy and create its own version of the Rookie Transition Program.  In the past, the Rookie Transition Program was a joint venture run by the NBPA and the Players Association.

The Rookie Transition Program was developed in 1986 as a mandatory program, which aims to do exactly what is stated in its title – help rookies transition to the NBA.  Included in the program are lessons regarding professional and life skills, media and community relations, player development, legal education, personal development and education, and some other special sessions.  This program obviously does not benefit everybody, but for the players who listen and practice what is taught in those sessions, the Rookie Transition Program can be very valuable to help them make better decisions on and off the court.  It is unfortunate that these “small things” are postponed or forgotten about.  Hopefully the gentlemen who were most recently drafted into the NBA will be able to get the continuing education they deserve.

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.