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NBA Players Philanthropy

Chris Paul’s Winston-Salem Weekend

I learned a lot this weekend.  Perhaps the most important nugget of information was that I should never wait until the last minute to start looking to book a flight.  And even when waiting until the last minute, there is no reason to be stubborn and say, “Screw it, I’m driving.”  Although I was able to take care of plenty of phone calls on the road, driving sixteen hours in three days is not something that is fun or necessary.  Anyway, I am back from Winston-Salem and Chris Paul’s charity bowling tournament, and back to the daily grind.

The weekend was a major success.  I left Friday morning, slightly hungover from the previous night’s festivities.  I made it through all of the Florida speed traps, through Georgia, South Carolina, and eventually into North Carolina.  By the way, the lakes in Davidson (just outside of Charlotte) are beautiful.  I arrived in Winston-Salem at around 7 p.m. and got lost a few times before finding my final destination.  I took a former intern and current Wake Forest student, Justin Herzig, and Dynasty‘s Bowling Division Director, Bruce Falcon, out for some authentic barbecue and before we left the establishment, we all felt that we had been severely hit on by the waitresses, which was not all that gratifying.

The next day, I snuck into a gym to get my daily workout in, caught up on some law school reading, and watched the first half of the Florida vs. Tennessee game before I headed to the Winston-Salem AMF Lanes. At the bowling alley, I met up with Bruce and a couple of gentlemen from Chaney Sports Marketing Group. Besides seeing one of our clients bowl and network with others in the industry, Bruce and I had traveled to North Carolina to witness what goes into creating such an event. Between myself, Bruce, and Chaney Sports, we hope to create a similar bowling event during All-Star weekend. Much more on that to come in the future.

The Dynasty client that participated in CP3 weekend is Tommy Jones. He was partnered up with Dwyane Wade, who I love as a basketball player, but leaves quite a bit to be desired on the lanes. I am not going to give away who won the event, but let’s just say that D-Wade did not stick around for long. Throughout the event, LeBron James was cracking jokes on everyone, and the crowd was eating it up. I hope that ESPN captured some of LeBron’s antics for when the show goes on air in a few weeks. By the way, look out for a spiked hair guy wearing a blue button-down shirt. I am told that I can be seen in the background of many shots.

The event was catered by Texas Roadhouse, and when there is food, I am a happy camper. Five chicken breasts did the job and I was set for the evening. After the bowling tournament, we headed to a club downtown called 411, which was rented out by Chris Paul and contained more free food, an open bar, and some giveaways.

Overall, it was a great event. The drive home on Sunday was less than pleasurable; however, nothing beat hearing that the Dolphins took it to the Patriots in Foxborough. And it seems like Dynasty may be signing some new clients in the near future based on some of my phone conversations in the car. So I guess driving was not so bad after all…

To see some pictures that I took during the event, click here.

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.

One reply on “Chris Paul’s Winston-Salem Weekend”

Sounds like you had a good time and got a lot of business taken care of. Always a winning combination.

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