HoopsHype.com Rumors

Tim Kawakami: Of course Jackson's agent is Myers' former boss Arn Tellem. Twitter @timkawakami

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Mark Jackson, Arn Tellem, Agents, Bob Myers 

A team source confirmed reports coach Mark Jackson hired super agent Arn Tellem and fired Steve Kauffman. The move happened months ago, but the source said it was not part of Jackson's plan to get a new contract form Golden State. Jackson hired Kauffman presuming he had to hire an agent of coaches. When he learned he could retain Tellem, Jackson's representative as a player, Jackson made the switch. San Jose Mercury-News

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Mark Jackson, Arn Tellem, Agents, Steve Kauffman 

Tellem is Warriors general manager Bob Myers' former boss and close friends with executive board member Jerry West. Jackson has two seasons left on his contract, next season is guaranteed and the Warriors hold an option for 2014-15. Without any further guarantees, Jackson would enter next season as a virtual lame duck in potentially his final contract year. San Jose Mercury-News

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Mark Jackson, Jerry West, Arn Tellem, Agents, Steve Kauffman, Bob Myers 

NBA player agent and Wasserman Media Group Vice Chair Arn Tellem spoke to SportsBusiness Journal following the announcement that his longtime client, Wizards C Jason Collins, is gay. Sports Business Daily

Jason Collins, Arn Tellem, Agents 

Arn Tellem: Ultimately, we agreed to do it with Sports Illustrated for a couple of reasons. They agreed to two conditions I had. One, that I wouldn’t tell them the player's name. That had to remain confidential until the time of the interview. And two, what was appealing to using Sports Illustrated was the fact that Jason could write a personal piece, in his own words, which I thought was the best way -- and so did Jason -- for him to make this announcement. Once we agreed, we followed through with that. We waited until after the season, not to be done while he was playing. We decided to wait until after the season. And because Jason was concerned that he wanted -- not to be outed -- he wanted to do it on his terms. ... he wanted to control the way the message was delivered, not somebody else. Sports Business Daily

Jason Collins, Arn Tellem, Agents 

Do you think Jason will get signed during free agency? Arn Tellem: I don’t anticipate there will be any problems. Jason is a pro’s pro. He is the consummate professional. He has been in the league for 12 years and he has a body of work. He is a valued and respected teammate and a great player to have on a team. He has helped teams win his entire career. He was the starting center on the Nets team that went to the Finals twice. Sports Business Daily

Free Agency, Jason Collins, Arn Tellem, Agents 

Arn Tellem: All I can say is this announcement had absolutely nothing to do with marketing or endorsements. It's about someone being able to live his life as he chooses and asking people to accept who he is as a person, based on his character and his accomplishments, and nothing more. There’s been no discussions, no thought of endorsements. Sports Business Daily

Jason Collins, Arn Tellem, Agents 

Sports Illustrated knew it had the story; it just did not know the identity of the athlete. Three weeks ago, Arn Tellem, agent to Jason Collins, called a Sports Illustrated writer, Franz Lidz, and offered him an exclusive story about how a major athlete was about to publicly announce that he was gay. Mr. Tellem did not give Mr. Lidz the name of the athlete. He just told him that the athlete would be meeting Mr. Lidz and an editor at an address in Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 24. Jon Wertheim, executive editor of Sports Illustrated, showed up at the address in Los Angeles that day without knowing whose home they were visiting. New York Times

Media, Jason Collins, Arn Tellem 

The magazine’s editors said in an interview on Monday afternoon after they closed the issue that they were careful in the days before that interview not to ask too many questions. Mr. Stone said he felt comfortable not knowing more than that it was a basketball player with a home in Los Angeles. “We could only deduce he wasn’t going to the playoffs and he lived in Los Angeles,” said Mr. Stone. “Honestly, we didn’t ask because there was this very real possibility this individual would change his mind.” New York Times

Media, Jason Collins, Arn Tellem 

Editors for Sports Illustrated noted that they knew they had to run the story as quickly as possible while also capturing the broadest audience. Mr. Collins said he did not want the publication of the story to coincide with the Boston Celtics’ first home game after the Boston Marathon bombings, which was last Friday. The editors chose to post the story on the magazine’s Web site at 11 a.m. on Monday because it would not be too early in Los Angeles for Mr. Collins to take phone calls. They also wanted to post as close to lunchtime on Monday as possible because that is one of the busiest times for the site. It was the fourth time since 2008 that Sports Illustrated decided to post a story before the magazine appeared on newsstands. New York Times

Media, Jason Collins, Arn Tellem 

Greivis Vasquez and Bismack Biyombo are now represented by Wasserman's Arn Tellem and BJ Armstrong. HoopsHype

Charlotte Bobcats, New Orleans Hornets, Greivis Vasquez, Arn Tellem, Agents, Bysmack Biyombo 

What do you consider a bigger move personally, getting Shaq or Kobe?: Jerry West: “Trading [Vlade Divac] was difficult, and particularly when you’re trading someone of his caliber — a starting center — for a 17-year-old kid who couldn’t even sign a contract. But we were lucky because I had a great working relationship with Arn Tellem … who used to be Kobe’s agent. Arn was very instrumental in us being able to get him, way down the draft list. Charlotte got a very good player in Vlade Divac, and they played well with him, but at the end of the day we got the prize we wanted. … We got really lucky and that’s what sometimes you need.” Sports Radio Interviews

Los Angeles Lakers, Trade, Jerry West, Arn Tellem, Vlade Divac 

Q: How long do you think a search for a new executive director should take? Tellem: The search for a new director need not be quick, nor should it be a popularity contest. To make the best possible choice, patience is required. Ideally, the process would extend through the summer so that the candidate or candidates can meet with key players during the offseason. To do less than this -- to speed the process unwisely -- might only compound the current problem. Considering that a long-time labor agreement is already in place, whoever is hired must protect labor rights while working with (NBA Deputy Commissioner & COO) Adam Silver and the league to grow revenue. Sports Business Daily

Billy Hunter, NBPA, Arn Tellem, Agents 

Q: Who should run the NBPA in the meantime? Tellem: After many months of internal turmoil, stability will be the key during any transition. (Union counsel and interim Exec Dir) Ron Klempner has been with the union a long time. He's quite capable of running things smoothly until a new executive director is found. I’m confident that he will look out for and protect the interests of the players. Sports Business Daily

Billy Hunter, NBPA, Arn Tellem, Agents 

Q: What about the other union positions? Tellem: The union needs a clean sweep of executive leadership positions. The players would be wise to hire an outside general counsel, one not affiliated with either Billy or (NBPA President) Derek Fisher. He or she should be independent and impartial. Jim Quinn of Weil, Gotshal & Manges in New York is worthy of consideration. So is his law partner, Bruce Meyer. Jim’s proficiency in sports-related labor law dates to Oscar Robertson’s landmark 1970 anti-trust case. During the last lockout, both Quinn and Meyer were enlisted by the union to mediate a deal with (NBA Commissioner) David Stern. Sports Business Daily

Derek Fisher, Billy Hunter, NBPA, Arn Tellem, Agents 

Powerful NBA player agent and Wasserman Media Group Vice Chair Arn Tellem called for players to take time in finding a replacement NBPA player leaders vote to terminate Exec Dir Billy Hunter’s employment contract Saturday. WMG represents more than 50 NBA players, and Tellem was one of a group of seven so-called “power agents” who held meetings without Hunter during the '11 NBA lockout about decertifying the union, something Hunter initially opposed. Tellem already has sent a letter to WMG's player clients, urging them to fire Hunter. However, he said Thursday evening that the agents who met during the lockout have had no conversations about the future of the union. Sports Business Daily

Billy Hunter, NBPA, Arn Tellem, Agents 

Arn Tellem, one of the N.B.A.’s most powerful player agents, is calling for the ouster of the union chief Billy Hunter, a step he is urging his clients to take next month during the annual player meeting at the league’s All-Star weekend in Houston. New York Times

Billy Hunter, NBPA, Arn Tellem, Agents, All Star Game 

“N.B.A. players deserve better representation from the union they fund,” Tellem writes in the letter. “I implore you and your fellow players to take control of your union and your future. It’s time for Mr. Hunter to go.” Tellem suggests that players should make that decision when the players association holds its annual All-Star meeting on the weekend of Feb. 15-17. That is also when the players will discuss the recent audit, by the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. Representatives of the firm are expected to present the findings and answer questions. New York Times

Billy Hunter, NBPA, Arn Tellem, Agents 

In his letter, Tellem suggests that Hunter should not be allowed to attend that meeting in order to prevent him from any attempt “to intimidate and manipulate.” Tellem writes: “Hunter is betting that the players — historically passive — will let him slide. I hope you don’t. Clearly, Hunter has violated your trust.” New York Times

Billy Hunter, NBPA, Arn Tellem, Agents 

Brooklyn Nets forward Kris Humphries has signed with agent Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media Group, which now represents three-fifths of the team’s starting lineup. The firm’s clients also include Nets center Brook Lopez and guard Joe Johnson, whom the team acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks during the offseason. Humphries, who signed a two-year, $24 million contract during the offseason, had been represented by agent Dan Fegan, who couldn’t immediately be reached to comment on the change. Bloomberg

Brooklyn Nets, Dan Fegan, Kris Humphries, Arn Tellem, Agents