Former NBA Player and current sports agent Byron Irvin was recently inducted into Julian High School’s Hall of Fame. Irvin is the oldest of the late Mac Irvin’s six children. He was honored this past weekend for his basketball resume — he was a standout at Missouri and was Portland’s No. 1 pick (22nd overall) in the 1989 NBA draft — and his career as an agent. For the last 14 years, Irvin has worked for Relativity Sports agency and currently holds the title as Vice President of the company’s basketball division. His clients include Shawn Marion, Jason Terry, Erick Dampier and Melvin Ely.
In an email to DNAinfo, Jason Terry said “Byron’s not only my agent but he’s a good friend almost like a family member. He is a high-character individual that only wants the best for his clients on and off the court. I’ve been in the NBA for 17 years and Byron Irvin’s one of the best in the business.”
Irvin played in the NBA for three years then took his career to the minor leagues and overseas, shortly after Irvin became a coach and then worked for two years in the Chicago Board of Trade pits. He then became part of Beverly Hills-based Relativity Sports through his basketball connections and his ability to learn every part of the business.
“When you’re making that kind of transition, you have to show people you’re more than a basketball player,” Irvin said. “You have to show them you can handle the business side, and I’ve shown people I can do deals and have success.”
Irvin’s latest success is Terry’s one-year deal worth $1.5 million to re-sign with the Houston Rockets. Melvin Ely, a Chicago-area product who played 375 games in the NBA, said Irvin “has assisted me on and off the court and has never once given up on me.”
“Byron is hands down an amazing mentor and friend,” Ely, who has known Irvin since he was a 14-year-old player on Mac Irvin’s AAU team, said in an email to DNAinfo. “I remember growing up and taking notice of how influential he was in both the mental and physical condition of students. As a kid it was the coolest thing to look into the stands and see a NBA player watching and cheering us to victory.”