Steve Forbes blasts agent responsible for Bobi Klintman's departure
Steve Forbes had something to say.
Wake Forest's men's basketball coach had another Zoom meeting for media on Friday morning, a little more than a week after a summer update.
Last week's meeting had a litany of topics; Friday's had one.
"I've had numerous questions this week ... about Bobi (Klintman)'s decision to play in the NBA draft and play in Australia next year," Forbes said. "I've felt for quite some time the disrespectful behavior of Bobi Klintman's agent towards me, my staff, and Wake Forest University was something our fans and college coaches needed to be aware of."
Klintman left Wake Forest after his freshman season to enter the NBA draft. He played sparingly and came on strong late, after Damari Monsanto's season-ending injury.
Klintman's agent is Michael Tellem of Excel Sports Management; he's the son of famed agent Arn Tellem.
The 20-minute Zoom was almost exclusively Forbes talking; he never mentioned Michael Tellem by name. Forbes said he talked to other coaches and athletics directors about the situation at the league's spring meetings last month.
"I was very upfront and transparent when I spoke to the coaches and ADs about the disingenuous façade of his agent signing him to an NIL deal with no intentions of him generating any NIL income," Forbes said. "Instead, his only intention was to control Bobi's draft decision and shop him to other college coaches to negotiate an NIL package."
Klintman pulled out of the draft last week and signed with an Australian team, Cairns Taipans, with the reported intention of entering next year's draft.
The timing throughout Klintman's process was strange and this shed light on part of the reason. Klintman pulled out of the NBA Combine before it started.
"What my staff experienced trying to work with Bobi Klintman's agent was by far and away the worst experience I've ever had attempting to work with one of my players' agents," Forbes said, noting that 99.9% of his dealings with NBA personnel and agents had been positive.
"He was deceitful, he was conniving and he was underhanded," Forbes continued. "His agent did everything in his power to undermine me, my staff and Wake Forest regarding the future of Bobi, leading to his decision not to return to college."
Forbes launched into the timeline of events involving Klintman and Tellem, a relationship that started with a January hiring.
In the interest of brevity:
"Ten days after Bobi went to California," to train for the NBA process, Forbes said, "we were told Bobi's not going to return to Wake."
Forbes made it clear he thought Klintman was manipulated throughout the process and that he held no ill will toward his former player.
"At the end of the day, I hope this decision works out for Bobi, because he has the most at stake," Forbes said. "He is an absolutely wonderful young man and everyone on my staff loved working with him.
"We wish him all the best. We will always help him now and in the future to achieve his professional goals."