I had the distinct honor and pleasure to meet and speak with former NBA player, Shawn Respert, at the Houston National Golf Club in Houston, Texas. Although he is an avid golfer, he was a former Michigan State University basketball star, and also obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Communications. In addition to his life experiences and specialties, his impressive list of accomplishments include Assistant Basketball Coach at Prairie View A&M University, Director of Basketball Operations at Rice University, Manager of Player Development with the NBA and currently Director of Basketball Operations at the NBA/Houston Rockets.
Whether he is negotiating a new contract for himself or for one of his long list of athletes that he has helped to develop, there is a sincere appreciation for his impressive list of accomplishments. Shawn has expertise in evaluating an athlete’s basketball skill sets, which includes identifying areas of strengths & weaknesses, and creating a workable plan to promote growth and development in the areas of concern for both professional athletes and basketball franchises. While his experience in the sports industry includes helping to educate and manage the careers of professional basketball players, Shawn believes that the most important aspect is the “overall development” of the athlete. Therefore, he is acutely aware of the importance of building and maintaining relationships created between the players and the business operations.
Among the core focuses of our discussion was leverage and power. Shawn is currently in the final month of his 3-year contract with the Houston Rockets, but he continues to leverage his status and roles in the industry to negotiate a new contract with three other prospective NBA franchises. Although he has to contend with the NBA lockout for the 2011-12 season currently underway, he remains confident that there will always be a market for the assets he provides to the sports industry.
Shawn explained to me that when under a contract and before a negotiation can take place, other teams seeking to hire new top staff members must communicate and get permission from the front office executives of the team where the prospective candidate or athlete is currently employed before they are able to recruit and negotiate terms of a contract. To communicate without the expressed permission of the league is considered “tampering”, which is a direct violation of the rules. Because the NBA tries to maintain “the appearance” of an even leveled playing field, especially when it comes to recruiting top employees and players, no team should have a clear advantage over another team.
An example of tampering that he cited was in 2003, the Cleveland Cavaliers (CC) were heavily fined because it was alleged that former head coach, John Lucas, encouraged his scouts to recruit LeBron James, a high school athlete from Akron, OH, and allowed him to workout in open gym at the CC facilities. Although this action was at a time when recruiting and drafting high school athletes was allowed, it created the appearance of an uneven playing field. Shawn stated, “as long as he was just out looking, it was ok, but to have actually invited him to workout in the CC facilities was considered “crossing the lines”!!”
According to most, LeBron was arguably the #1 pick that year and CC happened to have the worse stats in the NBA, which placed them in a position to have the most balls in the lottery. It worked!! They were awarded the 1st draft pick option, and hence, LeBron James became a Cleveland Cavalier. After an extensive investigation, it was concluded that there was sufficient evidence to support their claims of tampering and they were heavily fined $750,000.
Shawn also explained that because there are some very restrictive rules associated with basketball negotiations that carry very stiff penalties for violations, it does not matter whether it is prospective players or front office staff candidates, it is better to do your research, know the rules, and get the required permission before beginning any negotiations, especially when you are under an active contract.
I truly enjoyed my very first golfing experience and informative conversation with such a multi-talented, well-spoken and well-rounded sport’s professional that is actively making a difference in the industry.
For more information on Shawn's life experiences and impressive career, check out:
For more information on Shawn's life experiences and impressive career, check out:
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