On May 1st the NBA’s Board of Governors voted to postpone the Draft Lottery and Draft Combine in Chicago due to an abundance of caution regarding the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to all of the seniors who have wrapped up their college careers, the early-entry deadline for underclassmen was August 3rd and the NBA deadline is approaching on August 17th. The lottery has been postponed until August 20th and the draft itself is scheduled to take place virtually on October 16th. We will spend the upcoming months interviewing as many members of the 2020 draft class as possible, as well as the people helping them along the way. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage by chatting with Ronnie Zeidel, Founder/President of RZA Sports, about working for Adam Silver and what sets him apart from other agents.
You went to high school with Duane Causwell: could you tell back in the day that he would be good enough to become 1 of the lucky ones to stick around the NBA for more than a decade? No. When he 1st came to Cardozo High School he was just a 7-footer with a football in his hands. He was kind of clumsy at 1st but was clearly athletic enough to block shots/rebound and his offense got significantly better by his senior year. He was probably 1 of the best shot-blockers in the nation during his final season. He worked really hard to make the NBA and learned how to play defense from Coach Ron Naclerio and then John Chaney at Temple. Now you need to be able to stretch the floor even if you are a 4 or 5 but back then you could work as a traditional big man and survive.
You previously worked for the Knicks in scouting: what do you look at when evaluating a player, and how can you tell whether a player is good enough to make it in the NBA? There are many attributes to look for but the game has changed a lot over the years. Today teams look for 3 things beyond talent: length, athleticism, and the ability to shoot the ball. Back in the day you could be a power forward/center who played with his back to the basket but now there are 4-5 guys on the floor who can shoot the ball at a high level. I also look for guys who have a tremendous work ethic, where they come from, and whether they will work as hard on the court as I do off the court. Analytics were not a thing in the 1990s: I have become a believer to a certain degree but I still believe in the eye test. Outside of the top-10 in the draft it is hard to predict exactly how good someone will be but I want to see what he does on the floor. IQ is a huge part of it, especially if you watch a guy play in person 3/4/5 times. My old boss Ed Tapscott had a simple line: “Can the guy freaking play?” I am all about the eye test…but you need to have the eye! Making the NBA and thriving once you get there are 2 different things: every team has a star or 2, then a few key starters, and then a bunch of rotation guys. There is nothing wrong with being a role player who sticks around for 10-12 years like my old friend Royal Ivey. Everyone has a different perspective.
You also worked for Adam Silver in the past: what was he like, and what makes him a good Commissioner? I have been in the basketball industry for more than 28 years and have never come across a more intelligent person than Adam. He is great at delegating but is also on top of everything across the board. He develops relationships with so many different kinds of people in all departments within the industry (media/owners/foreign countries/etc.) and has always had a vision for making the game more global. Even though he has only been Commissioner for a few years he has spent many years learning the ropes as Deputy Commissioner. He is a great manager of people and interacts so effectively with league employees, the media, the entertainment industry, and the players themselves. He knows what the forefathers of the league have built and he has taken it to the next level: he is always the smartest person in the room and can look ahead to the future and really plan/execute like no other.
You have also advised companies in industries such as performance beverages/apparel/TV production: which industry did you enjoy the most? There are certain aspects of each job that I really enjoyed and I loved working in every category. Building SLAM Magazine from nothing after everyone laughed in our face is probably what I am proudest of. There were 7-8 of us who just grinded it out and eventually created the best basketball magazine in history. As an agent I love finding the right “partners” and guiding these young men both on and off the court. They put their careers in the palm of my hand and I take that to heart. I am blessed to work/grow with them. I treat every client of mine as if he was in my son, meaning would I put my son Grady in the situation I am about to put them in if Grady was in their shoes? I love what I do and hope to continue to grow and help guide more terrific young men.
You helped develop both SLAM Magazine and XXL Magazine: how has the magazine industry changed over the past few decades? The #1 thing is the Internet specifically and digital media in general, which was nonexistent when we started out. I launched those magazines in the 1990s when publishing still mattered at the print level. The print publications that decided not to invest in the digital marketplace and embrace social media all failed. Part of the reason I left SLAM is that at the time the parent company did not invest properly and I did not see any growth potential beyond my first 15 years there, but a few years ago a good friend of mine bought SLAM and he and Dennis Page are doing a great job of taking it to the next level. The market has changed tremendously: I am a huge believer in tangible media but I understand people who want to read stuff on their phone.
1 of the athletes you previously worked with was Kobe Bryant: what was he like, and how stunned were you to learn of his passing last January? I have been very blessed to work with many amazing athletes including Vince Carter/Elton Brand/Paul Pierce/Steph Curry. I 1st met Kobe at the 1996 McDonald’s All-American Game in Pittsburgh when SLAM was just 1-2 years old at the time. He was a fun-loving kid with a big smile on his face: we knew that he was a great player but nobody could have imagined how great he would eventually become. The thing I remember most is how nice/open/transparent he was. I would see him 1-2 times/year after he was drafted: we would just touch base in the locker room and talk about life. I was very disappointed to see the Kobe-Shaq situation and some of the accusations mae against Kobe: he had a 4-5 year period in the middle of his career where not a lot of other players liked him, but he eventually matured and became a man. He created the “Mamba Mentality” and became all about winning championships. Everyone has their ups and downs but I admire how he came back to be a tremendous teammate/superstar/family man: I think that he is the 2nd-best 2-guard to ever play the game. I ended up really respecting him and loving his work ethic and the man/player/teammate he became. He also had so many accomplishments and did so many good things off the court. There are a lot of athletes who have passed away during the past 3 decades but “stunned” does not even cover my reaction to Kobe’s passing: I even cried at one point and felt devastated. That has never happened to me before. It was shocking to the world to lose someone of that stature at such a relatively young age.
The NCAA tourney was canceled last March due to the coronavirus: what was your reaction when you 1st heard the news, and do you think that it was the right decision? I remember being in Utah on a recruiting trip with some buddies. I am a huge St. John’s fan and was watching them kicking Creighton’s butt so I was super-excited. I was shocked that the Big East and NCAA tourneys were canceled…but as someone who lives in New York it was hard to see us losing hundreds of people to the virus every single day. It was completely the right decision and even if they held a tourney without fans it would not have been safe. I just believe we should all follow the advice of the doctors and scientists and stay cautious: after all, this is just a game and we are talking about lives here.
Do you think that college players should be paid, and if so then how do we keep it from spiraling out of control? I do not think that a swimmer/lacrosse player who is not bringing in any revenue to a school should be paid. It is definitely a privilege to get a college scholarship, but if a basketball player is helping generate millions of dollars for his school then I think he should be getting paid. I think it should be the same amount of money across the board but I do not know what the right # should be. The 2nd thing you asked is the million-dollar question but I do not think that anyone has the right answer. I do not think the NCAA wants them getting paid but nobody is watching Ohio State football just because they like the sport: they want to see a team that might win a championship, and as great as coaching is in sports the players are the keys to winning a ring.
What sets you apart from more “traditional” agents, and what is it like to be an NBA agent in 2020? There are no “basketball” agents in this country who have worked on the team side, media side, league side, AND the agency side like I have, so that alone is a huge edge. I am much more well-rounded than your typical agent and much more experienced across the board. Most agents just start out as an agent and keep doing that for 20-30 years: they do not have the diversity that I do. I dedicate 100% of my time to my job: I worked in several different parts of the basketball industry for 25 years before becoming an agent a few years ago. I got some offers to join other agencies but wanted to do it my own way even though there are some really good agencies out there. There is less room for error but more opportunity for growth. This is a difficult year for everybody: I am just happy that me and my family are healthy. I have 2 great rookies in Steven Enoch/David DiLeo but there are no pre-draft workouts this summer, which makes it more difficult for exposure. Steven has done 26 Zoom interviews so there is a lot of interest, but there is no combine/summer league for him to demonstrate his skills. Both of them are going overseas to Spain, which is the 2nd-best league in the world outside of the NBA. There are no mini-camps so teams cannot work guys out, which makes it hard to give advice to players who are deciding whether or not to declare early or to veterans who want to stick around. You just have to take it 1 day at a time. If any of the 4 pro sports leagues can figure this out it is the NBA because they have done it the right way with a bubble…plus we should never underestimate Adam Silver.
What are some of the trickiest parts of the basketball landscape that you help your clients navigate, and how do you do so? If you get drafted then you have to get settled in a new city, but most pro basketball players go overseas because the NBA only has a few hundred players and only 40-45 new rookies each year. When a guy signs with me it is not about getting a job, but rather carving out a career and finding an opportunity to begin that growth in year #1. I talk to my guys about building a resume and how a career is a marathon and not a race. A higher paycheck is not always the right answer: I am a big believer in finding the “right” basketball situation first and then the money will come after that. The 1st rung on the ladder is an entry-level position: you need to work really hard/develop your game and then your next job will move you up a notch. You cannot build a resume in 6 months: it takes 4-5 years of continued growth and remaining healthy. I take my responsibility very seriously: I look at talent but also guys who want to grow. They rely on me and I want to do the best job that I can for them in return.
What would it mean to your clients to get drafted, and what is the plan if they do not get drafted? If Steven gets drafted he has an out clause and will come back to the US, but only if it is the right deal. If not then he will have a great year in Spain playing for a great organization. I think that David will probably remain in Spain for the entire season: it could be too disruptive to bring him back this fall but do not be shocked to see him on an NBA roster during the 2021-22 season.