According to Yahoo! Sports NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, veteran and highly respected sports agent, Arn Tellem has agreed to become the Vice Chairman of Palace Sports & Entertainment, the company that owns the Detroit Pistons. Per ESPN.com, Tellem will be in charge of business operations and league initiatives for the Pistons, as well as be responsible for business strategy, public affairs and development for Palace Sports & Entertainment and would report to Pistons owner and PS&E chairman Tom Gores.
Gores said “Arn is one of the most accomplished and respected sports executives in the world… He has great passion, integrity and honesty, and he shares my belief that sports can be a catalyst for change in the community. He is an outstanding addition to our leadership team who will help make us make a real difference in Detroit….Given his experience and all of his success, Arn could have gone just about anywhere and he chose Detroit. His excitement and enthusiasm about coming here says a lot about this community, about the Pistons tradition, and about the potential of the franchise. This is a big win for Detroit.”
For most of his career Tellem has served as a NBA and MLB agent. Tellem will be leaving his position as vice chairman of Wasserman Media Group and has negotiated more than $3.5 billion in client contracts since 2008.
Tellem said “The decision to change careers was in one sense a difficult one, because I am leaving a terrific job with great clients and an outstanding leader in Casey Wasserman… But in another sense it was an easy decision, because I am joining another great organization with an outstanding leader in Tom Gores, who is committed to ensuring Palace Sports & Entertainment is a championship organization both on the court and in the community….. I’m energized by the potential in Detroit and throughout the region — in commerce, the arts and on the basketball courts and playing fields. I hope to make a constructive impact on the Motor City and contribute to the turnaround that is under way.”
Tellem is slated to begin working for PS&E on August 3rd.