• Ed Davis – Rob Pelinka (Landmark Sports Agency)
• Danny Green – Bill Duffy (BDA Sports)
• Wayne Ellington – Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group)
• Ty Lawson – Leon Rose (Creative Artists Agency)
• Tyler Hansbrough – Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management)
• Reyshawn Terry – Lance Young (Octagon). Currently playing for Brose Baskets of the German League.
• Brandan Wright – James Tanner (Williams & Connolly)
• David Noel – Kevin Bradbury (BDA Sports). Currently playing for Paris-Levallois Basket in France Pro A.
• Rashad McCants - E. Lindsey Maxwell
• Sean May – Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group). Currently playing for Fenerbahçe Ülker in Turkey.
• Raymond Felton – Kevin Bradbury (BDA Sports)
• Marvin Williams - James Tanner (Williams & Connolly)
• Joseph Forte - John Ebeling (JEMsports)
• Brendan Haywood – Andy Miller (ASM Sports)
• Shammond Williams - Rade Filipovich (BDA Sports)
• Vince Carter - Kurt Schoeppler
• Antawn Jamison - Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group)
• Rasheed Wallace – Bill Strickland (Lagardere Unlimited)
• Jerry Stackhouse - Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management)

The list could have gone on and on.  Arn Tellem and WMG seem to be just as entrenched at North Carolina as they are at local rival Duke.  However, there is no one agent or agency that dominates this school.  BDA also seems to have had a strong presence over the years.  But look at the first seven players listed, which are the last seven to be drafted out of UNC.  Each one of them has signed with a different agency.  It would be tough to say that Roy Williams promotes any particular agent to his players.

Agent Selection Scenarios: North Carolina Basketball from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

• Grant Hill – James Tanner (Williams & Connolly)
• Christian Laettner – Lon Babby (Williams & Connolly). Babby is now the President of Basketball Operations for the Phoenix Suns.
• Elton Brand – David Falk (FAME)
• Shane Battier – James Tanner (Williams & Connolly)
• Carlos Boozer – Rob Pelinka (Landmark Sports Agency)
• Chris Duhon – Kevin Bradbury (BDA Sports)
• Mike Dunleavy – Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group)
• Dahntay Jones – Aaron Mintz (Priority Sports)
• Daniel Ewing – Thad Foucher (Wasserman Media Group)
• J.J. Redick - Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group)
• Shelden Williams - Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group)
• Corey Maggette - Rob Pelinka (Landmark Sports Agency)
• Luol Deng – Jason Levien (LSR). Levien became general counsel and assistant GM of the Sacramento Kings and it is likely that Deng has either hired a new agent or is still in the market for one.
• Josh McRoberts - Bob Myers (Wasserman Media Group)

This year, the #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft could be coming out of Duke.  Kyrie Irving is projected to be one of the top picks in the Draft.  The talented freshman suffered a toe injury that has kept him out of much of this season.  Other Blue Devils expected to be selected are seniors Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler.  It is assumed that Smith will go ahead of Singler.  If Mason Plumlee decides to leave early, he could be a first rounder.

Looking at the list of Duke players along with their agents, Wasserman Media Group stands out from the pack.  Tellem, Myers, and Foucher do work!  And they also have B.J. Armstrong to assist in recruiting.  If you are not one of the big name agencies, it is doubtful that you have a shot securing a top Blue Devil.  Good luck competing against WMG, BDA, Landmark, FAME, Priority Sports, and Williams & Connolly (who takes more of a “lawyer approach” and charges by the hour up to a certain percentage of the player’s contract).

Agent Selection Scenarios: Duke Basketball from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

SFX Golf currently represents roughly 30 players on the PGA Tour including John Daly, Scott Verplank, DJ Trahan, and Rory Sabbatini.  A full list of PGA Tour clients is listed here.  SFX Golf also has popular players on the Nationwide Tour, Champions Tour, LPGA Tour, and World Tour.

At this point, I have not been able to get confirmation of the deal from anyone at SFX or WMG.

Wasserman Media Group To Acquire SFX Golf from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Wilson Chandler, the 3rd year New York Knicks forward from DePaul University, has made a switch of representation.  He was formerly represented by Chris Luchey of CGL Sports.  I’m still a big fan of Luchey’s website – at least it is different than the run of the mill sports agency webpage.

Prior to starting up his own firm, Luchey was a Senior Manager of Client Services at Wasserman Media Group, and before that, Director of Player Personnel/Scouting at SFX Sports Group.  The first link on his LinkedIN page is a link to an article about Wilson Chandler’s stock rising.  That needs to be changed, pronto.

As for Chandler, RealGM reports that he is considering Dan Fegan, Arn Tellem, Leon Rose, Andy Miller, and Happy Walters as his new agent.  Tellem would be a stinger, as he is the head honcho at WMG (Luchey’s old firm).  Walters would be an interesting choice – he is the man behind Amar’e Stoudemire.

On To The Next One: Wilson Chandler from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

I am not sure how this originally got past my radar, but over the weekend, I read for the first time that Aaron Goodwin plans to file a formal complaint (if he has not already), with the NBA Players Association, against Arn Tellem.  The complaint will be based on Al Horford’s switch from Goodwin to Tellem and Wasserman Media Group (WMG) mere days prior to Horford being able to discuss a contract extension with the Atlanta Hawks.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a player changing his agent; agent/player agreements are terminable at will.  But as has been discussed at length on Sports Agent Blog, there is a remedy in tort law if someone intentionally interferes with your contractual relations with your client.  Goodwin would have to prove that Tellem and/or anyone under his control at WMG had knowledge of Horford’s relationship with Goodwin (easy) and that they caused the interference.  Goodwin’s case would be aided if he can prove that someone at WMG had a bad motive in the recruitment of Horford.

In the context of professional basketball, interference with contractual relations, as a viable claim, has been largely a myth.  That is until an arbitrator awarded Keith Glass $40,000 to be paid by Andy Miller.  When I covered that award, I wrote the following,

Some in the industry would call it “competition”, and claim that this type of ruling could create a slippery slope where even ethical recruiting practices are punished with the levying of damages.  The worry is that this type of decision might open the floodgates for every disgruntled agent who has ever lost a player.  No one wants to chill the open market of agents and players who switch agents for a variety of proper reasons.  Others are extremely happy that justice might finally be served on those who ignore rules, regulations, and laws.

Will this decision set a precedent, or will it be a blip in the standard unregulated practice of agents stealing clients from one another?

If Goodwin wins in his fight against Tellem, are the floodgates officially opened?  If Goodwin has a solid claim, then a ruling in his favor would be a good thing, but at least at this point, there must be some concern that the slippery slope is beginning to form.  I understand Goodwin’s pain, though.  LeBron James, Dwight Howard, and Al Horford are all former clients.  Representing those three players, alone, throughout their careers would be enough for almost any man to retire and live a very happy life.

Aaron Goodwin Plans To File Complaint Against Arn Tellem from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Often times during my free time, I enjoy playing a little NBA 2K10 on my Xbox 360. I actually have a franchise with the Atlanta Hawks and Al Horford is my star center! So, in a cheesy sort of way, this news really hits home for me.

Yesterday, Liz Mullen from the Sports Business Journal reported (via Twitter) that Horford, who still plays for the Hawks, switched agents. The fine folks at the Goodwin Sports agency are out and those at the Wasserman Media Group are in.

WMG represents some big name players such as LaMarcus Aldridge, Landon Donovan, Brandon Roy, Joe Johnson, Tracy McGrady, etc. As you can see, Joe Johnson is a WMG client and as you all may or may not know, Johnson is a teammate of Horford. Maybe big Joe had a small part in this?

On To The Next One: Al Horford from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Sports Business

• Big power move for Wasserman [Brody leaving MLB to head sales at WMG].

Baseball

• The Dominican Republic has an education problem, a cheating/PED problem, and many other issues to deal with…but at least some teams are enhancing their D.R. facilities  [Struck Out by Béisbol].

Basketball

• Perhaps an unfair advantage for LRMR [LeBron James' basketball camps push the line in regard to recruiting amateurs for sports agency].
• At least now we know that William Wesley carries a BlackBerry [Agency Role Could Limit Basketball Broker’s Power].
• Athletes, wake up! Learn how to use social networking sites to your benefit not your detriment [“ALCOHOL ON US” – 20-Year-Old Cashmere Wright].

Sports Agents

• Paul Doyle is a track & field agent [Marietta sports agent, wife walk away from plane crash].
• Drew Rosenhaus owns Southwest Florida [Agent knows the area well].
• This is really what makes Arn Tellem one of the best in the biz [Nomar, Mia visit Seeds of Peace: 'You see the joy'].

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up (8/6/2010) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

It’s July 1st.  Basketball junkies have been waiting for this day for quite some time.  Their favorite teams can start talking to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh…for the past year, we have been doing all the talking for those teams.  Those three players are getting the most hype out of this ridiculous class of free agents, and they are all represented by the same agency, Creative Artists Agency, for negotiations related to their NBA contracts.  The task of representation is split between Leon Rose and Henry Thomas, and we all know about the variety of others who will make their presence known.

But LeBron, Wade, and Bosh are not the only talented free agents available, and the other players are not represented by CAA.  Let’s take a look at some of the other big agencies and who they will be negotiating on behalf of in this exciting offseason.

• Wasserman Media Group – Arn Tellem is the primary agent at WMG, but he will have BJ Armstrong, Bob Meyers, Dan Tobin, et al. to help him with finding Joe Johnson, Jermaine O’Neal, Tracy McGrady, Jermaine O’Neal, and Mike Miller a home.  After LeBron, Wade, and Bosh, Johnson seems to be the name that journalists are focusing on.
• Priority Sports – Mark Bartelstein is to Priority as Tellem is to WMG, but Bartelstein also has very able agents in Brad Ames and Aaron Mintz.  They will be focusing on David Lee and Brad Miller.  I love to see what David Lee has become in the NBA after not really living up to his expectations at the University of Florida.
• Immortal Sports – Happy Walters is the owner of the agency now known as Immortal Sports.  His big client for this free agency period is Amare Stoudemire, who along with Boozer, could be interesting pick-ups for a contending team.
• Landmark Sports Agency – Speaking of Carlos Boozer, he is represented by Rob Pelinka.  Pelinka will also be busy working the phones for Channing Frye.

There are other free agents who will gather interest, including Al Harrington, who is represented by Dan Fegan of Lagardere Unlimited.  And there are also some interesting restricted free agent names.  July should be a fun month.

It’s July 1st, Do You Know Where Your Favorite NBA Free Agent Is? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

In reality, many athlete and agency profiles across various social media platforms are not run by the athletes or top executives themselves.  What too often is the case is that an intern will be given the responsibility of updating Twitter, Facebook, and blog accounts to make it seem like the words are coming straight from the mouth of the athlete or the company CEO, when it could not be further from the truth.  Does this make sense?  In my opinion, no, and if fans/followers/friends catch on (which should not be a hard task), it could be damaging.  Athletes and CEOs, with proper training, can handle the “chore” of posting regularly on these networks, and may even enjoy it.  The one exception for me, is that I will often post updates on my clients’ Facebook Fan Pages just to keep fans updated on achievements of the players and their stats.

It will be much tougher to convince an agency’s CEO to be a regular on social networks than convincing athlete clients (they will probably be on there whether you teach them best practices or not).  After all, why should a CEO bother with the mundane task of sending Tweets containing 140 characters or less, writing lengthy blog posts, or posting updates on Facebook, a site originally created for college students to hookup with and poke each other?

Mashable.com recently talked with Forrester Research CEO George Colony in an effort to understand why so few CEOs are personally using social media and whether or not they should be involved, anyway.

• Fears and issues preventing adoption: Age (most are still trying to switch from the typewriter to the computer), possible regulatory restraints (especially for public companies), risks (of offending customers, partners, BoD and of increased litigation), time.

Casey Wasserman of WMG is tweeting, but he is a young CEO.  Ted Forstmann of IMG and Jonathan Blue of BEST have no Twitter presence.

• Reasons to tweet: Desire (to communicate and to take risks) and audience (will employees and targeted customers listen, participate, comment, criticize?).

If a CEO has absolutely no interest in Tweeting or posting updates to his Facebook page, then there is no reason that the CEO should be forced or encouraged to do so by anybody.  And the CEO also may be someone who is very risk averse.  More importantly, who is the audience for a sports agency CEO?  Is it only the players?  If so, it will be hard to use updates on social media sites to reach those players.  If current clients follow the CEO, they may enjoy reading the updates.  Potential clients will most likely never read them.  But beyond athlete clients, a CEO’s partners, business acquaintances, friends in the media, employees, etc. may appreciate receiving updates, and this granted information may open up doors for opportunities for the CEO’s business.

There is no mandatory number of Tweets or updates for the CEO.  I know that time is a concern, but how often will a CEO be stuck at an airport staring at his Blackberry waiting for the next incoming email to appear?  In that time, why not send out a Tweet updating the world on something that is going on in your or your company’s life?  It makes the CEO seem more like a human being (isn’t that what he is?), which is something employees and clients appreciate.

And it’s not only about posting content.  CEO’s should be keeping up with what is written about them and their companies, and also what others are writing about other companies (including material written by the competition, themselves).  Truthfully, this site should be a bookmark, and CEO’s should also be watching The Master Twitter list of sports agents/agencies.

Should A Sports Agency CEO Be Social Networking? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

It was not all that long ago that IMG was known for its Client Management division, which included many talented athletes not named Tiger Woods.  Jonathan Blue was focused on investing in non-sports businesses and Creative Artists Agency (CAA) was known as one of the best Entertainment agencies in the world.  Today, IMG only manages athletes in individual sports (i.e. tennis and golf), while Blue Entertainment Sports Television (BEST) and CAA are two of the largest athlete representation firms in existence.  CAA represents LeBron James, Peyton Manning, and Ryan Howard. BEST represents John Wall, Reggie Bush, and Chris Johnson.  While CAA has a slightly better roster of talent at the moment, BEST may make a push to take over the top spot.  Lagardere Unlimited, a large French talent-management company, is expected to buy BEST in the near future, which may create a new World War between mega worldwide sports and entertainment agencies.

Meanwhile, Casey Wasserman’s Wasserman Media Group (WMG), is taking notice, but it is doubtful that the company fears the change in the sports agency landscape.  Year after year, WMG’s Arn Tellem defies all odds by continuing to manage clients in the double digits in both basketball and baseball, while finding the time to serve on the Board of Directors for a couple of basketball-related philanthropic events and also write a weekly column for the Huffington Post.

WMG does not represent football players.  CAA, through Tom Condon and Ben Dogra have the most successful football agency, and it is only a division of a larger agency.  It is very rare for an agency to involve itself in another sport in conjunction with a practice in football.  CAA does it, as does BEST, Octagon, and Mark Bartelstein’s Priority Sports, but Drew Rosenhaus and David Dunn of Athletes First are not venturing outside of football any time soon (although Dunn does represent some coaches).

What can be concluded?

1. It is very difficult to manage athletes in more than one sport, especially when the agency has a football division.
2. WMG and Arn Tellem will survive no matter how much other companies grow through acquisitions.
3. CAA’s utter dominance may be threatened.

Roughly a year ago, I suggested that CAA’s dominance may be threatened by a merger.  At that point in time, I made that assumption based on the merger of Endeavor and William Morris Agency.  I presumed that the new mega-agency would develop a sports practice to rival CAA.  Fortunately for CAA and the rest of the industry, that new practice never took shape.  Instead of WME, CAA needs to take note of the potential buy out of BEST by Lagardere.

State Of The Sports Agent Industry from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules