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Sources: Basketball Agent Dan Fegan To Join Happy Walters At Relativity Sports

Earlier this month, prominent basketball agent Dan Fegan confirmed that he was no longer an employee at Lagardère Unlimited, but said that he was still involved in “active discussions” with the company.  Based on what Sports Agent Blog has learned from multiple sources, those active discussions have come to a halt, at least to the extent that they focused on Fegan remaining at Lagardère.

Sports Agent Blog has learned, through those sources, that Fegan is likely to become a part of the newly created Relativity Sports, a basketball, football and baseball agency led by Happy Walters.  In an industry where very few agents allow themselves to develop relationships with their competition, Fegan and Walters have managed to find a way to remain friends throughout their respective careers.

Fegan, who is known for wearing a Bluetooth headset but not being tremendously fond of computers, went to Yale Law School, founded the sports agency Fegan & Associates and sold that agency to Lagardère Unlimited.  Roughly two years after that purchase, Fegan is already on his way out and likely set to join another company.

Walters has had a very successful career as not only a basketball agent, but also as a music supervisor and TV/movie producer.  He is one of the few individuals who has been able to break into, and be successful, in both the sports and entertainment industries.  A little known fact is that Happy Walters was the inspiration for Adam Sandler’s hit 1996 movie, Happy Gilmore.

Fegan represents Dwight Howard, John Wall, Ricky Rubio, Stephen Jackson, Shawn Marion, Nene, Kevin Martin, and many other high-end NBA players.  Walters’ biggest client is Amare Stoudemire, but he also represents guys like Iman Shumpert and Moe Harkless.  According to HoopsHype.com, combining Fegan’s clients’ salaries with Walters’ clients’ salaries would result in a total of $179,455,308 under representation, putting the combo in the #4 overall spot just behind Creative Artists Agency (which may see its position change based on the recent NBPA certification of Rich Paul).

If Fegan does join Walters at Relativity Sports, it will be a major acquisition for a relatively new multi-sport agency that was born through the efforts of Relativity Media and The Yucaipa Companies.  The founding of Relativity Sports combined Walters’ pre-existing Rogue Sports agency with Maximum Sports Management and SFX Baseball.  Maximum Sports Management, founded by NFLPA certified Contract Advisor Eugene Parker, represents many active NFL players including Greg Jennings, Steven Jackson, and Ndamukong Suh.  SFX advised five players selected in the first and supplemental first rounds of the 2012 MLB Draft.  Adding Fegan will either provide Walters with a powerful sidekick to run the basketball division or allow Walters to pass the torch of the leading basketball division to Fegan so that Walters can focus on other matters.

Messages left for Dan Fegan and Happy Walters have not been returned.

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.