Wright Lindsey Jennings
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Little Rock, Ark. (March 16, 2022) – WLJ partner and sports law attorney Antwan D. Phillips successfully passed the 2022 National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Agent Certification Exam and is now a Certified NBPA Player Agent – one of only two certified agents in the state of Arkansas.
As a result, Phillips now offers draft-eligible players assistance with decisions ranging from date of eligibility in declaring for the draft, performance training, media training, participation in the NBA Combine, and relationship building with NBA teams throughout the draft process and in free agency. Additionally, Phillips, as an experienced negotiator and litigator, will represent NBA players in contract negotiations, endorsement deals and brand development.
Phillips, a former collegiate basketball player at Bowdoin College in Bowdoin, Maine, and at McClellan High School in Little Rock, is a founding member of WLJ Sports Law, the firm’s full-service practice group dedicated to the representation of collegiate and professional athletes and coaches. Since the NCAA removed its regulations against the commercial use of name, image and likeness (NIL) for student athletes in the summer of 2021, Phillips and the sports law team have represented businesses and student athletes across the state and region on NIL deals.
In addition to working through the draft process and contract negotiations, WLJ Sports Law offers a full range of services focused on the rising professional athlete such as tax consultation, real estate transactions, trust and estate planning, endorsement and licensing negotiations, and registration and protection of trademarks, among other intellectual property rights.
“We are thrilled to offer this expanded service to basketball athletes in Arkansas and beyond,” said Judy Simmons Henry, the leader of WLJ’s sports law team. “Thanks to Antwan’s dedication and determination, WLJ Sports Law can now represent our basketball student athletes at the next level, while enriching the resources and skill we offer to all sports law clients through our relationships with the NBA and professional sports. Our full-service profile in both amateur and professional athletics truly sets our team apart in the state and region.”