Jason Levien
Jason Levien is the co-owner of Major League Soccer club D.C. United and the CEO of the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association.
He is an attorney and has served as both a sports agent, who represents professional athletes in the NBA, NFL and other sports and leagues in the United States and across the globe,[1] and as a member of the front office for the Sacramento Kings in the NBA. He is an adjunct professor at UC Berkeley Law School, where he teaches sports law.[2]
On July 31, 2008, Levien negotiated the largest contract in the history of the Chicago Bulls' organization, a $80 million, 6-year agreement for his client, Luol Deng. Deng was a star at Duke University and was the 7th pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. In 2007, Levien negotiated a $55 million deal with the Sacramento Kings on behalf of the Kings' leading scorer, Kevin Martin and, in 2005, he negotiated a $33 million deal with the Miami Heat on behalf of Udonis Haslem.[3]
Levien also represented Omri Casspi and Yotam Halperin, two of the first Israeli players drafted into the NBA, the Utah Jazz's Ukrainian-born center, Kyrylo Fesenko, the New Jersey Nets' Courtney Lee, Orlando Magic's Hedo Türkoğlu and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' rusher Earnest Graham, among others.[4][5] An article chronicling three of Levien's clients drafted by the NBA in 2006, appeared in The New York Times' Play Magazine in October 2006.[4] Casspi became the first Israeli-born player to be drafted in the first round and to play in the NBA, and Casspi was named to the 2010 NBA Rookie All-Star Challenge.
Levien has appeared as a weekly on-air commentator on CBS-4 in Miami, and has been a guest on ESPN, ESPNews and NPR regarding the business of professional sports and the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement.[1]
Levien played on the basketball team while attending Pomona College, and he was an editor of the law review at the University of Michigan.[6]
Levien has also served as a Democratic strategist and campaign consultant. He was credited as the speechwriter for the Keynote Speech at the 2000 Democratic Convention in Los Angeles given by Congressman Harold Ford, Jr.[7] Levien and Ford have also co-authored a policy essay on campaign finance reform published by the Harvard Journal on Legislation.[8] Following law school, Levien clerked for the Hon. Diana Gribbon Motz of the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit.
In 2011, Levien emerged as part of an investment group along with actor Will Smith that purchased the Philadelphia 76ers.[9]
In 2012, Levien and fellow Sixers minority owner Erick Thohir were named new majority owners for Major League Soccer club D.C. United, with the goal to get a soccer stadium built for the team. Source
He recently sold his stake in the Sixers to join new Memphis Grizzlies owner Robert Pera's ownership group. He was named club CEO. Pera is the Chairman and Controlling Owner. His partners include Justin Timberlake, Peyton and Ashley Manning, Harold Ford, Jr. and Penny Hardaway.Source
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 www.kqed.org/epArchive/R408101000
- ↑ "Berkeley Law - Courses@Boalt". Law.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
- ↑ Reynolds, Tim (January 30, 2009). "Haslem agrees to five-year deal, will stay with Heat". St. Augustine Record. Associated Press.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 SOKOLOVE, MICHAEL (October 29, 2006). "From Tel Aviv to the Space Needle, by Way of Slovenia (With Stops in Treviso, Miami and Salt Lake City)". New York Times.
- ↑ Hamilton, Linda (August 14, 2007). "Jazz, Fesenko deal almost done". Deseret Morning News.
- ↑ "Pomona College Magazine :: PCM Online". Pomona.edu. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
- ↑ "Losing The Old Labels - Newsweek and The Daily Beast". Newsweek.com. 2002-01-27. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
- ↑ "Harvard Law School Journal on Legislation » A Harvard Law School Student Journal". Law.harvard.edu. 2012-02-15. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
- ↑ "Sources: Philadelphia 76ers sale talks in progress - ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. 2011-06-08. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
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