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College Basketball Players

Denzel Valentine Follows In Draymond Green’s Footsteps

You would be hard-pressed to find an athlete with more influence on the Michigan State basketball program than former Spartan and current Golden State Warrior Draymond Green. Earlier this year, Green made a record $3.1 million donation to the school’s athletic department. Two days ago, I assisted Green in applying for a trademark covering “Sagnasty,” a nickname Green uses to show pride in his hometown of Saginaw, not located far from East Lansing.

Thus, it should come as no surprise that current Spartans wish to follow in Green’s footsteps. One such player is Denzel Valentine, who recently entered his name for the NBA Draft and has now signed with agent B.J. Armstrong of Wasserman Media Group.

Valentine was named national player of the year by many publications, including The Associated Press.

Along with Green and now Valentine, Armstrong represents Derrick Rose, JaVale McGee, Omer Asik and a handful of other NBA players. He gained a more prominent position within Wasserman Media Group upon veteran agent Arn Tellem’s departure to take an executive position with the Detroit Pistons.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Heitner created Sports Agent Blog as a New Year's Resolution on December 31, 2005. Originally titled, "I Want To Be A Sports Agent," the website was founded with the intention of causing Heitner to learn more about the profession that he wanted to join, meet reputable individuals in the space and force himself to stay on top of the latest news and trends.

Heitner now runs Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., which is a law firm with many practice areas, including sports law and contract law. Heitner has represented numerous athletes and sports agents as legal counsel. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington from 2011-2014, where he created and taught a course titled, Sport Agency Management, which included subjects ranging from NCAA regulations to athlete agent certification and the rules governing the profession. Heitner serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where he teaches a Sports Law class that includes case law surrounding athlete agents and the NCAA rules.