Shetellia Riley Irving is one of the most historic NBA agents ever. First she was the first Blak women to rep an active NBA player, and then she helped negotiate the largest deal by a Black women agent in NBA history. She was one of the honorees during the League of Industry Moms dinner gala during Super Bowl week and she spoke with rolling out about making history.
How does it feel to be a history maker multiple times over?
It feels amazing. I always say this. I don’t want to be the only one. So, I’m ready for some of my other ladies to come in, and it’s really dependent upon some of these guys giving us a shot. But I know that there are other active agents now. GG Jackson’s mom represents him, and she’s an agent, and I’ve had some conversations with her, but I look forward to hearing about some other women that are representing some of these guys.
How did you keep Kyrie Irving in a positive mind state during his vaccination stance?
I think we helped each other. For us, it was a hugely trying time. He lost a lot of money based on his stance. I think that we were just super supportive of one another. He was my pillar. I was his pillar. I was the person who basically said, hey, stand on your belief, and I’m gonna stand on the side of you, behind you, in front of you, at all cost. Because I believe if you stand up for what you believe in, you’ll always be rewarded.
Do you think the media and society picks and chooses who to be mad at and when?
Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. I don’t think that’ll ever stop. I think that oftentimes the media chooses those people that may be the person of the day that they kind of want to dump on. But absolutely.
Did you feel justified when Kyrie and the Mavericks advanced to the NBA Finals?
Yes. Yes, I did. Yes, I did. Absolutely. I’m very happy for him and very happy for how far they got, especially when it wasn’t expected that they would get as far.
What’s your favorite Kyrie moment?
My favorite moment I could watch it over and over again was when Luca slid across the floor, threw the ball to Kyrie, and Kyrie got an alley-oop. So that is my absolute most favorite moment.
Three tips for Black girls who want to be agents one day?
Three tips. Create deep relationships. Make sure that those relationships have intent and that they are monetizable, meaning that people are helping you get to the next level. And always believe that you can do it, even though the world is going to tell you that you can’t. Just believe that you can.
