Tandem Sports & Entertainment has signed NBA hall of famer
Dominique Wilkins, who is the Atlanta Hawks’ vice president of basketball, for marketing, personal appearances, public relations services, corporate partnerships and business opportunities.
Wilkins will be represented by a team of agents including Jim Tanner, the firm’s president; Terése Whitehead, senior vice president of marketing; and Meredith Geisler, senior vice president of communications. Wilkins has not been represented by an agent in recent years.
Wilkins knows Whitehead well, as she served as senior manager of marketing, advertising and branding for the Hawks from 2001 to 2006. He reached out to Whitehead recently because he has a lot of projects and opportunities coming up and needed help with marketing and media, Whitehead said.
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Atlanta Hawks executive Dominique Wilkins will be represented by a team of agents at Tandem Sports & Entertainment.
Photo by: NBAE / GETTY IMAGES
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The Hawks are scheduled to unveil a bronze statue of Wilkins outside Philips Arena in March. Then, sometime this spring, Wilkins will be featured in an ESPN “30 for 30” documentary. “It’s all about him,” Whitehead said.
Wilkins, a small forward, was drafted No. 3 overall in 1982 and was a nine-time NBA All-Star before retiring from playing basketball in 1999. His high-flying dunks earned him the nickname “The Human Highlight Film.”
Additionally, Wilkins, who suffers from diabetes, is active in fighting that disease, as well as in other causes. In May, he is scheduled to be honored at the American Diabetes Association’s Atlanta Father of the Year event. Tandem will help him set up a foundation, Whitehead said.
He also is looking to expand his endorsement portfolio, as Reebok and Novo Nordisk are Wilkins’ only sponsors now. “We feel there are plenty of opportunities for him in several categories,” Whitehead said. “We will focus on exploring marketing opportunities in both the endemic and non-endemic areas.”
> CAMPBELL’S PROSPECTS: Kristin Campbell, wife of rap figure Luther Campbell, is co-representing two 2015 NFL prospects — University of Miami running back Duke Johnson and Syracuse safety Durell Eskridge — with other agents.
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CAMPBELL
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Campbell is a Miami-area lawyer who was certified to represent players in contract work by the NFL Players Association in 2011. She is co-representing Eskridge with
Drew Rosenhaus of
Rosenhaus Sports and co-repping Johnson with
Audie Attar of
Paradigm Sports Management. Campbell represents athletes and entertainers out of her law firm, Kristin D. Campbell, PA.
She also co-represents Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman, a rookie last season, with Tony Fleming and Mitch Frankel of Impact Sports.
Her husband, who led the rap act 2 Live Crew and remains active in music, also has been involved in youth football, including leading the Liberty City Optimist Club Warriors, a youth football team that included Freeman and Eskridge as members.
Luther Campbell’s involvement with the Miami Hurricanes has been the subject of stories and he was interviewed for an ESPN “30 for 30” documentary called “The U” about the football program. Luther Campbell counted former Hurricanes players, including Warren Sapp and Willis McGahee, as friends but has never been a booster of the university, Kristin Campbell said.
She became involved as a lawyer in the business by helping players to vet agents, and the players and their families wanted her to co-represent them. “My goal is to create a model that is able to meet their needs and expectations and not create an environment where a client is crying on TV and saying they are bankrupt after making $50 million,” she said.
Right now, Campbell and Attar are fielding marketing offers, including a shoe deal for Johnson, who broke several University of Miami rushing records.
> ATHLETES FIRST SIGNS HUDSON: Athletes First has signed Chiefs center Rodney Hudson, who may become a free agent in March if he is not franchise tagged by Kansas City.
He will be represented by Joe Panos and Brian Murphy.
Hudson was one of several players who followed Tom Kleine from JL Sports to his new agency, Shoreline Sports Management. “Rodney is a great person, and it was my pleasure to have worked for him the past four years.” Kleine said in an email. “It’ll be fun watching him continue on from afar.”
Liz Mullen can be reached at lmullen@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @SBJLizMullen.
