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Renardo Sidney’s Battle Continues With Separation From Basketball Agent

It is fair to say that it has been a wild year for basketball agent Johnny Foster.  At first, it appeared that Foster was on his way to a somewhat quiet, but solid, group of new prospects to represent.  He signed Darryl “Truck” Bryant of West Virginia and Julian Mavunga of Miami Ohio.  Neither player was listed on the myriad of NBA Mock Drafts spread across the internet, but even if the two do not find a spot on an NBA or D-League team, Foster believed they would be wanted by clubs overseas. But then Renardo Sidney came along.

Sidney, a player who was once ranked the seventh best player in the country and predicted to play at big programs like UCLA and USC, was first signed to Travis King of Happy Walters’ company Rogue Sports.  I do not currently know the reasoning behind the breakup between Sidney and Walters, but I do know that Sidney eventually chose Foster to be his representative.

Sidney never lived up to his expectations at Mississippi State (where he ended up playing when he wasn’t suspended), but Foster saw the young man’s size and potential talent and remained hopeful.  Foster tells me that he made the choice to devote his time and effort into Sidney, being by his side while he was training and conditioning, getting Sidney workouts, and traveling with Sidney to meet with team personnel.  The commitment to Sidney forced Foster to make the conscious decision that he could no longer set aside enough of his time to Mavunga (link) and Bryant (link).  Soon after writing about Mavunga’s departure from Foster, both the player and agent wrote to me that they decided to go separate ways because they “didn’t see eye to eye.”

So Foster set out to work as hard as he could to show NBA scouts why Renardo Sidney was just as talented and coveted as he was coming out of high school.  Except after some time by his side, Foster had to separate himself from the 6’10 center.  At one point in time, Foster told me that Sidney was making great progress with his game.  Now, the talk around basketball circles is that Sidney fails to show up at workouts, and when he does show up, he does not always put forth the effort that NBA personnel are looking for.  It got to the point where Foster believed it was in his best interest to move on.

Over a month ago, Foster represented three professional basketball prospects.  Today, none of them remain his clients.  However, Foster appears to be quite fine with that.  He tells me that he remains on very good terms with Mavunga and Bryant and wants nothing but the best for those two players, in addition to Renardo Sidney.  Foster says that he will focus on placing his other players in good situations overseas and will certainly be busy over the coming months.

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.

5 replies on “Renardo Sidney’s Battle Continues With Separation From Basketball Agent”

Another Eddie Curry…unfortunately no NBA team will make that mistake again…Sidney better start looking for a new profession.

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