How Sports and Celebrity Agent, Darren Prince Overcame Addiction and Secured Magic Johnson as His First Client

Darren Prince defied the odds and became one of the top sports and celebrity agents in the game.

At times it wasn’t pretty, it definitely wasn’t ideal, but in the end, it was all worth it. Super-agent, Darren Prince’s rise to become arguably the top sports agent in the world was a rollercoaster ride that almost ended horribly. Opioid addiction almost ended any hope of Darren reaching his full potential. Through it all, he maintained great relationships with athletes who he had booked for autograph signings through his memorabilia business. He would later secure Laker great, Magic Johnson as his first client. After committing to his sobriety, the lists of clients grew even larger. Now, through his Prince Marketing Group, Prince works with stars such as Magic Johnson, Dennis Rodman, Carmen Electra, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Denise Richards, Chevy Chase, Charlie Sheen and several other prominent stars. He credits his sobriety for becoming the success that he is today and shared his story through his best-selling book, “Aiming High!” His advocacy work and full-on commitment to share his story with those in need is just as important as the role he plays in so many stars’ lives.

During my recent conversation with, Prince, he shares the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows of his journey!

Seems like things are going great. How is life treating you?

Darren Prince: Everything is amazing, man. I can’t complain. Very blessed.

You have an amazing story. You have told your story so much, but I love the fact that you never seem to get aggravated or bothered by being asked about overcoming your opioid addiction. From where you were to where you are now, what has it been like for you?

Darren Prince: I think in general my mindset for 11 ½ years before I got sober probably would’ve been different, but I’ve learned to realize that adversities in life really introduces us to our real self. When I was able to stop looking for an outside fix and realized it was an inside job, I got down on my knees and asked God to come into my life. What I thought on July 2, 2008 was the worst day of my life, truly turned out to be my best because my bottom had become my beginning.

Was your bottom a scary place or an unfamiliar place that you knew you had to get out of?

Darren Prince: It wasn’t scary. It was just a single state of desperation, outright misery and pure hell. You can’t scare a degenerate drug addict like myself. Fear doesn’t do anything. It was just more of, “I’m just fucking miserable.” I was miserable from living a double life. You think I have it all and when I was home alone in my own head, I didn’t want to wake up in the mornings anymore. I’d be okay with my family taking my assets and my life insurance and the business. I literally during my user years kept changing the will for different directors and executives that were working for me to give certain people control and equity. It was a sick existence. I wanted to check out. I didn’t want to deal anymore.

Was it becoming difficult to be out in public around these prominent figures and put on an act that everything was okay and that you were okay?

Darren Prince: I think I had grown so accustomed to it. I say it when I speak, “What was once living to use turned out to be using to live.” And when that happened and my superpowers were taken away and the opioids were now my kryptonite, it got to a point where, I was just using so I didn’t get dope sick, opioid sick. I had no more special powers and I didn’t know where to turn. I didn’t know how it got to that point. Like I said, it was just a miserable existence. I was just going through the motions for years trying to survive and put on this fake front.

Why is it so important for you to be this open about what you’ve been through?

Darren Prince: It’s very important because I have been given a gift of spiritual sobriety. That’s a gift. I do believe giving that gift away is how I stay energetic on this journey that I’m on and not hold back.

Magic Johnson becoming your first client as an agent. What a way to start.

Darren Prince: Magic I met through the memorabilia business. I used to book his autograph signings. And I got in trouble with the FBI. I talk about it in my book, “Aiming High,” for selling fraudulent Michael Jordan autographs. I didn’t know they were fraudulent, and it basically cost me my entire memorabilia company at the time. And it put me in tremendous debt. I was with my late father fly fishing in Alaska and I told him what my new vision was. I wanted to be an agent and he told me that I didn’t need to be a lawyer because that’s what I thought I had to be. He said, “You got all the relationships in the world and you know what you know, why don’t you speak to Magic. You have had a great 3-4 year trusting and personal relationship and maybe he’ll be your first client.” And that was it. I spoke to him in 1995 and he gave me the opportunity.

Your personality and reputation had to be outstanding. To lose a company because of fraudulent behavior and still earn the trust of the many stars you represent is impressive.

Darren Prince: That’s really what it comes down to. Anybody can make them money. When you make it personal and build that love, and that trust and that friendship and family vibe, that means everything. I mean my 50^th birthday, the entire Johnson family was there; Magic, Cookie, EJ. Had him and Cookie at their 60^th birthday in Saint-Tropez. This past summer I was there at their 25^th wedding anniversary. A celebration in Saint-Tropez 3-years ago, I was there. Was I was married; they came to my wedding. It says a lot because it’s so much more than just the business, ya know.

Most definitely! All of your clients are unique in their own way and not only do they have to trust you, you have to trust them as well. I’m sure it’s a two-way street.

Darren Prince: Absolutely! Take Dennis Rodman for example. We kind of gravitated to each other like a big brother little brother and through the years the roles reversed. I was with him back in his heyday with the Chicago Bulls and I kind of saw some of the issues happening once his career started dwindling down with the drinking. I had my issues with the opioids. We were party buddies for a while. The past 11 ½ years obviously on this journey, I’ve been able to help him, and he’s been able to help me. Same situation, it’s so much more of a brotherhood and a trust than anything else at this point. We know we’re always going to make money, but we’re there with each other till the end no matter what.

You are very close to the Los Angeles Lakers organization. The passing of Kobe Bryant and so many others including his young daughter on that helicopter was so tragic. You have had interaction with Kobe before, right?

Darren Prince: Kobe, I talk about in the book. I did an autograph signing with him about 6-months earlier. I was at The Mondrian in 1996 at the Sky Bar which is a really hot spot on Sunset. I talk about the superpowers that I had. I was little bit high, I had a few drinks in me. My buddy comes over and says, “I don’t want to tell you this, but I know you would kill me if I don’t, Kobe Bryant is there in the corner.” It’s like I was a machine. I bolted over, probably inappropriately. He was on his cellphone and he told one of his boys, “Hey, one of my bros just came over, let me call you right back.” He hung up the phone and gave me a big hug. We spoke for 5-minutes. He remembered everything about the signing, asked about my mom and dad and how Magic was doing, how Dennis [Rodman] was doing. Just gave me that time.

I’ve seen him a few times over the years. Dennis and I was courtside at a Laker game 3-years ago and he came over, gave Dennis a hug, gave me a hug. Just a real good genuine dude and it’s a tragedy what happened. It’s beyond explanation to him and his family and the other passengers and their families who were on that plane. Just horrible.

How has being around so many prominent figures at a young age groomed you as an adult?

Darren Prince: I think it’s made me unfazed by people of prominence in general. When you’re with guys like Muhammad [Ali] and “Smokin” Joe [Frazier], they are the kings of any kings that can walk into any room. It’s just like Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair or Magic. I see the respect of the biggest stars in the world; presidents and world leaders become little kids around people like that. Especially Ali and Frazier. It kind of gave me this way of handling myself. This vibe that I had made me calm, cool and collected around anyone. No matter who it was. Understanding that I was privileged to have those guys by my side for so many years and still have so many of them by my side that are alive.

You tell an amazing story in your book about being there to witness Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier finally bury the hatchet. Where does that rank in your many moments and accomplishments?

Darren Prince: It was the greatest professional accomplishment in my life. I’ve learned to accept the fact that I wasn’t in my right mind at that point; being high on opioids because I never felt like I belonged. I didn’t feel worthy of the situation. But looking back at it, the blessing that I did have… when Muhammad passed in June of 2016 and Joe passed in November of 2011, I had redemption because I was at both of their funerals and memorials so proud. I got to see all of the people that were so near and dear to me. That was a blessing that it came full circle and one that I deserved every minute to be there.

You carry a lot of titles, celebrity agent, best-selling author and motivational speaker. Being that you have come so far, what does life mean to you now?

Darren Prince: That’s a good question. Everyday life most importantly is my recovery and my advocacy. And give this blessing away and this gift that is so precious because I know, if I give that out to the universe, everything else in life falls into place for so many people struggling. Outside of that, everybody in my office still lives the super-agent life with all the clients. We will be super busy and doing all sorts of marketing deals with Ric Flair who just had a Super Bowl commercial that aired, Carmen Electra has another big commercial she’s shooting, Magic’s always doing a ton of speaking engagements, Hulk is always busy. Chevy Chase is on this huge tour right now with Mills Entertainment. That’s a big Q&A tour in 25 different cities. So, we’re always rocking and rolling on the Prince Marketing front too. Roy Jones Jr. Roy is the best. We have a project with him launching with celebrity slots. It’s a great company. We have about a half-a-dozen of our clients involved with that one. Roy is exactly what his nickname used to be, “Gentleman.” He is another first-class guy.

Your book, “Aiming High,” is amazing. I love the slogan, “Hitting bottom while at the top,” because many people feel that when you’re at the top, there is no bottom. You story contradicts that mindset.

Darren Prince: Absolutely! Like I said, I was living a complete double life and I was able to turn it around. I’ve been given this precious gift and there is no better way for me to pay it forward than to talk so openly about it. It’s been the greatest accomplishment of my life. I don’t look at my legacy as the agent to some of the most iconic stars and celebrities. I look at it as the recovery advocacy and what I’m doing in that movement to help people.

It seems like a lot of people rely on you for things, did you have that someone you called to get you through some of those dark days or was that a private matter that you handled in-house?

Darren Prince: I talked to Magic. We had a heart to heart. He was somebody that was there for me about a year and a half before I got sober, Hulk and Dennis, but ultimately it was my uncle and his girlfriend that helped with my road to recovery and the 12-step fellowship. They pushed me over the finish line until I went to a 12-step program that changed my life forever.

I appreciate the time, good luck moving forward to you, your company and all of your clients. Is there anything else you would like to add before I let you go?

Darren Prince: That’s it, man. If people want to follow me on Instagram @agent_dp. And for speaking engagements or anything on my advocacy they can go to www.officialdarrenprince.com. And the last plug, I started my own foundation which is, The Aiming High Foundation. For anybody that can make any kind of contribution because we’re using all the proceeds to get financial assistance for people with mental health and substance abuse disorders. Also, the Banyan Treatment Center, they’ve been tremendously supportive. I actually have a toll-free number 1-888-6-DARREN. If people don’t have the means, Banyan Treatment Center has 12-properties in 4 different states. We found them financial support to get them the help that they need.

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