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Basketball Agent Dan Fegan Leaves Lagardère Unlimited; Company To Continue Basketball Representation Practice

Basketball agent Dan Fegan has gone from representing the #1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft (former University of Kentucky and current Washington Wizards guard John Wall) to not signing a representation agreement with a single player selected in the 2012 NBA Draft.  When Blue Entertainment Sports Television (BEST) – eventually acquired by Lagardère Unlimited – decided to acquire Fegan & Associates (led by Dan Fegan), it was looking forward to years like 2010.  But now, four years after the acquisition, it appears that Fegan and Lagardère Unlimited will separate.

Fegan said the following to SportsBusiness Journal: “I can confirm I am no longer with Lagardère Unlimited,” but he added that he and the company are still engaged in “active discussions.”  I had a hard time getting any response from Lagardère Unlimited.  The one thing a representative from the company did say was that the company remains committed to its basketball representation business and looks forward to continuing its growth both organically and through future acquisitions.  Lagardère Unlimited is known for growing through acquisitions, which includes the 2012 purchase of Gaylord Sports Management.

Even though Fegan had an unsuccessful 2012 NBA Draft, he is still one of the more prominent agents in basketball.  Fegan clients include the aforementioned John Wall, Dwight Howard, Kevin Martin, Ricky Rubio, Al Harrington, Anderson Varejao, and Shawn Marion.  Whether Fegan ends up joining another firm or starting his own practice, he will likely be equipped with at least the majority of clients he represented while at Lagardère Unlimited.  The man with a Juris Doctorate degree from Yale University who loves a good game of chess and is always “thinking a few moves ahead” likely has a strategy in play for quite some time.

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.