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Sports Agents

The Influencers Of Basketball

The website, Hoopsworld, is on a mission to list the top 55 most influential people/groups in the sport of basketball.  Yesterday, the site began the rankings by revealing #36-55.  Seven agents are listed in that group; however, the site does put Leon Rose and Henry Thomas in the same slot.  Here are the agents who are bringing up the rear in this very exclusive group of “influencers”:

  • #51 – Lon Babby, Partner, Williams & Connolly
  • #49 – Andy Miller, President and Founder ASM Sports
  • #48 – Aaron Goodwin, CEO of Goodwin Sports Management
  • #45 – Bill Duffy, Founder, BDA Sports
  • #44 – Mark Bartelstein, CEO and Founder, Priority Sports
  • #38 – Leon Rose and Henry Thomas, Creative Artists Agency

Obviously this list is highly subjective.  I have no problem with the way that the agents are ranked in this grouping.  The only question I have is whether Duffy might deserve a higher spot.  Like him or not, the guy has had a very strong influence on basketball.

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.