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04s Doing It Big in ’07

Reader Jordan McNulty recently asked for some insight about the O4s (Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Taurean Green, and Cory Brewer). The four juniors have led the University of Florida along with Lee Humphrey (give the man some love!) to their first NCAA Basketball Championship, and look to be on their way to a second consecutive championship this year.

McNulty was interested in draft prospects, interaction with agents, etc. As far as draft prospects are concerned, a simple Google search will reveal that all of them should fair very well in this coming NBA draft, with Al Horford and Joakim Noah projected as high first-round picks. There is no readily available information of action with agents. It would be an NCAA violation for any agent to sign one of them, and most of the players (besides Brewer) come from pretty affluent families (they would not have any good reason to accept illegal gifts from an agent).

The one piece that I found from ESPN.com, is something that anyone interested in learning more about the 04s should read. Andy Katz had a rare opportunity to enter the players’ dorm rooms and wrote a great story after getting deep into their lives [Katz: Gators’ dorm walls are a view into their personas]. It is a great piece that I learned a lot from, and I am a student at the University of Florida.

-Darren Heitner

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 “04s Doing It Big in ’07”

Joakim Noah will probably sign with his fathers agent. That’s what most agents believe, the real catch of next years draft for agents will be Durant. As it’s widely believed Mike Conley Sr. (the ex-olympian) will represent Greg Oden.

Any idea who Yannick Noah’s agent is?

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