Gores nabs Tellem to join Palace Sports & Entertainment
The Detroit Pistons have already made a huge splash in the free-agent market.
Not by signing a player -- free agency doesn't start until next month -- but by inking the sport's biggest agent.
The team announced Friday morning that Arn Tellem will join Tom Gores' staff as a Palace Sports & Entertainment vice chairman. He's expected to start with the organization Aug. 3 after transitioning his current responsibilities as vice chairman of Wasserman Media Group, which represents a large number of NBA stars.
Tellem will not be directly involved in basketball operations -- Stan Van Gundy will still report directly to Gores -- but even in a business role, his name adds major prestige to a struggling franchise.
"Arn is one of the most accomplished and respected sports executives in the world," Gores said in a statement. "He has great passion, integrity and honesty, and he shares my belief that sports can be a catalyst for change in the community. He is an outstanding addition to our leadership team who will help us make a real difference in Detroit.
"Given his experience and all of his success, Arn could have gone just about anywhere and he chose Detroit. His excitement and enthusiasm about coming here says a lot about this community, about the Pistons tradition, and about the potential of the franchise. This is a big win for Detroit."
According to a Palace Sports & Entertainment press release, Tellem will report to Gores and have a broad responsibility for business strategy, public affairs, planning and development, and strengthening the connection between PS&E and the community. With respect to the Detroit Pistons, he'll be responsible for business operations and league-related initiatives as one of the team's alternate governors on the NBA Board of Governors.
Tellem said that shifting from being a representative of players to a representative of ownership is a capstone of his long career in the sports business, which includes more than three decades as a player agent.
"The decision to change careers was in one sense a difficult one, because I am leaving a terrific job with great clients and an outstanding leader in Casey Wasserman, who I believe runs the finest sports marketing and talent company in the business," Tellem said in a statement. "But in another sense, it was an easy decision because I am joining another great organization with an outstanding leader in Tom Gores, who is committed to ensuring Palace Sports & Entertainment is a championship organization both on the court and in the community.
"I am thrilled to take on this new challenge as part of the team in Detroit."
Tellem, 61, is from Philadelphia and graduated from Michigan's law school in 1979. He was mentored by Detroiter Alan Rothenberg, who ran the 1994 World Cup, and later served under Donald Sterling as general counsel for the Clippers, both before and after their move from San Diego to Los Angeles.
Wasserman Media Group represents the likes of Draymond Green, Anthony Davis, Jabari Parker, Derek Rose, Russell Westbrook, LaMarcus Aldridge and the Gasol brothers. Aldridge and Marc Gasol are two of the biggest names in this summer's free-agent class.
Additionally, the group represent 20-year-old Croatian star Mario Hezonja. The 6-foot-8 small forward has been playing in the Spanish League for Barcelona, and was already considered a strong possibility to be drafted by Detroit with the eighth pick later this month.
