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Headline Recruiting Sports Agents

Basketball Agents Share Stories About Recruiting College Players

James Harden signed with the same agent as Kobe Bryant (Rob Pelinka) after hearing good things about him from Kobe. Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE
James Harden signed with the same agent as Kobe Bryant (Rob Pelinka) after hearing good things about him from Kobe. Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE
James Harden signed with the same agent as Kobe Bryant (Rob Pelinka) after hearing good things about him from Kobe. Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

It is just about the heart of signing season for basketball agents looking to represent players leaving their respective universities.  Minus those players on teams slated to play in the Final Four, all players who are fully committed to playing at the next level and understand that signing with an agent will force them to leave behind their student-athlete eligibility are going through the agent selection process and have, or will soon be, executing the paperwork that will secure them representation.

Paul Wachter of Businessweek put together a story (more of a graphic with quotes) on how college players get linked up with agents.  Happy Walters, Jeff Brodie and Mike Silverman were interviewed for the piece.  Walters represents Amar’e Stoudemire, Iman Shumpert and Moe Harkless, and is the leader of Relativity Sports.  Silverman represents Quincy Acy.  I did not even know Jeff Brodie was a basketball agent; however, this profile page says he is certified with the NBPA.

I thought that the best blurb from Wachter’s piece was the section titled, “Have Big-Time Clients Call Him.”

When Houston Rockets All-Star James Harden played at Arizona State, he’d get calls from NBA superstar Kobe Bryant.  “Kobe would call and say, ‘I like your game fella,’ and Harden’s face would light up,” recalls a former classmate.  In 2009, Harden signed with Rob Pelinka, Bryant’s agent.  “It’s a small world,” says sports marketer Sonny Vaccaro.

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.