Journey to the Green Room
Every NBA hopeful covets an invitation to the Green Room.
To reach that stage on NBA Draft night means a player has been pegged as a probable first-round selection and he, his family, friends and agents have access to that exclusive seating area.
Uniontown graduate Christian Kezmarsky was part of that scene on Tuesday night when Santa Clara star Allen Graves went as the 19th overall pick in the first round to the Toronto Raptors.
The joyous occasion completed quite a journey for both Kezmarsky, representing Graves as part of Los Angeles Media Fund (LAMF) along with agent Dan Curtin, and Graves who had an outstanding freshman season coming off a red-shirt year.
鈥淲hat a trip it鈥檚 been,鈥� Kezmarsky said.
CAREER PATH
Kezmarsky was a high school player for the Red Raiders under his uncle, Rob Kezmarsky, and went on to play two years at the University of Pitt-Greensburg before transferring to Robert Morris where he earned his Bachelor of Science and Fitness Administration/Management and worked as a student/manager under RMU men鈥檚 basketball coach Andy Toole.
From there Kezmarsky began his own basketball training business, CK4, which was based in Pittsburgh and drew some of the most talented players in southwestern Pennsylvania. He had his sights set on some day being an agent.
鈥淭hat was kind of always the end goal,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淚 just didn鈥檛 really know how to get there. I was a little uncertain on how you even got started as an agent. I think some of that came with being where I鈥檓 from. Big cities, everyone knows all these jobs. We鈥檙e not really used to that stuff.鈥�
The success of CK4 led to Kezmarsky getting his foot in the door when it came to becoming part of an agency.
鈥淲hen I started out working out really high-level players, agents would start calling me to basically try to have me as a point of reference to recruit their kid,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淭he guys I was training at this point were future NBA guys and players like that. These agents would call me and I was just like a basketball junkie. I was taking calls and didn鈥檛 really realize what鈥檚 going on. Then kind of at the same time, some of the players I was really close with started to tell me how they signed an agent, they really didn鈥檛 like him, they didn鈥檛 know why I couldn鈥檛 be an agent, things like that.鈥�
Eventually, Kezmarsky opted to take a chance on that parth.
鈥淚t kind of just happened,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n kind of the same time period when I was starting to meet with agencies to get into the business I met the group that I work with now. It was just like meeting people, it wasn鈥檛 like a set, 鈥楬ey this is what I鈥檓 doing.鈥� It really changed when I met the guys I鈥檓 working with now.鈥�
Kezmarsky has been with LAMF close to three years now.
鈥淚鈥檝e been in the role I鈥檓 in, Director of Player Personnel, for about a year now,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淢y title doesn鈥檛 really represent my role. I鈥檓 basically the No. 2 with this agency, me and Dan. It鈥檚 been going well.鈥�
DISCOVERING GRAVES
Graves, the son of Marshall and Amy Graves, was a basketball recruit out of Louisiana coming off his red-shirt year when Curtin and Kezmarsky discovered him.
鈥淒an, he鈥檚 a little older than me, has done a really good job of kind of getting the diamonds in the rough that we identify early, and we can tell if they鈥檙e going to be really good even if they aren鈥檛 quite there at the current moment,鈥� Kezmarsky explained. 鈥淗e鈥檚 invested into them and had a lot of success.鈥�
Despite having not played a single college game yet, Curtin and Kezmarsky saw great potential in Graves, a 19-year-old, 6-foot-9, 225-pound power forward.
鈥淔or Allen, nobody really knew who he was,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淣o one was recruiting him. But we have some friends in the business and we鈥檝e kind of become known as those guys who find, as I said, the diamonds in the rough. A friend of mine in the business, he鈥檚 a GM at a school, called me one day and just said, 鈥楬ey, there鈥檚 this kid at Santa Clara, I think he鈥檚 pretty good, you should take a look at him.'鈥�
So Curtin and Kezmarsky did just that.
鈥淢e and Dan were impressed, honestly, really just off the strength of the trust in our eyes,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淚 reached out to him first and me and him had a really good conversation. He asked me to connect with his dad and his brother (Marshall Graves, who played four seasons at LSU). This was in September of this past year before he played one college game.
鈥淲e just recruited him, met with the family, it was such a natural fit just with who he is as a person and who we are as a company. He has a great support system around him. His mom and dad are awesome. He has a brother and sister (Amoura Graves who played three seasons at Auburn) who both played Division-1 that are great and then he鈥檚 married. His wife鈥檚 name is Malia.
鈥淲e just had a natural feel for their group so we went in on him. We knew what we saw and then obviously it transformed into what he is now. I did his NIL and he stayed with us through the draft.鈥�
Graves played as a supreme sixth man at Santa Clara and averaged 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 51.2% from the field, 41.3% from 3-point range and 75% from the foul line, while also coming up with 67 steals which was tied for first among all freshmen in the nation.
With a seven-foot wingspan and a high basketball IQ, Graves began to slowly rise up draft boards as the season progressed. He went on to become the West Coast Conference Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year. Graves was one of just two NCAA Division-I freshmen to score at least 400 points, grab at least 200 rebounds and make 50 steals, joining Duke鈥檚 Cameron Boozer, who went on to become the third overall pick in the NBA Draft, by the Memphis Grizzlies.
鈥淢e and Dan were telling him he was a first-round pick in December,鈥� Kezmarsky recalled. 鈥淭he only people who didn鈥檛 think we were crazy were him and his brother.
鈥淥ur circle never wavered on what we knew. With the NIL stuff, he had offers to be one of the highest paid guys in college basketball. He was turning down $5-6 million to stay in the draft and people thought we were crazy for that.鈥�
Then Graves began shooting faster up draft boards.
鈥淭he buzz really started in February,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淗e kept the option to return to school up until the deadline. He was considering Duke and LSU. Then he decided to stay in the draft.
鈥淲e wouldn鈥檛 have let him do that if he wasn鈥檛 a first-round pick. We were very confident that he was going in the first round, though.鈥�
IN THE GREEN ROOM
The NBA Draft was held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, home court of the Nets, and as the first night approached, Graves received an invitation to be in the Green Room. Among those chosen to accompany him was Kezmarsky.
鈥淲e got to New York. Allen got there a little bit earlier,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淭he day of the draft they have the NBA Commissioner鈥檚 Luncheon, which every player that鈥檚 invited to the green room, their people, their family, their agents, attends. Then the commissioner (Adam Silver) talks to everybody. It鈥檚 like a super elegant lunch. Then the guys go back and they get ready. Allen headed to the arena on the bus.鈥�
Graves鈥� contingent then met up at the Barclays Center.
鈥淗is mom, dad, wife, brother, sister and Dan were right at the table and I was right next to them,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淵ou get there and everyone is mingling down on the floor. You see every player and their group around their table. You see all the reporters and media persons, ESPN, all there. It鈥檚 really cool.鈥�
Then the draft began
鈥淵ou sit there and you鈥檙e confident but still you kind of sweat it out a little bit every time the commissioner comes out and announces a pick,鈥� Kezmarsky said.
It wasn鈥檛 just sitting and waiting for Curtin and Kezmarsky, though.
鈥淲here it鈥檚 unique for us is me and Dan are working the whole time,鈥� Kezmarsky pointed out. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not like we knew exactly where he was going. I鈥檓 on my phone, Dan鈥檚 on his phone. He鈥檚 calling his contacts, I鈥檓 calling my contacts. We鈥檙e looking on Twitter.鈥�
THE PICK IS IN
Graves was predicted as a top-20 selection by most and as pick No. 19 loomed, Kezmarsky鈥檚 phone started buzzing.
鈥淎bout 20 seconds before they announced it, both of us got a text that said Toronto is taking him right here,鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淭heir GM called Dan. I found out because one of my friends in the business who works for the Lakers texted me and said congrats. So I said well Toronto must be taking Allen.鈥�
Word got to Graves right before Silver stepped to the podium to make it official.
鈥淎llern knew for about 10 seconds before the pick was announced,鈥� Kezmarsky said.
Then Silver uttered the words, 鈥淲ith the 19th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft the Toronto Raptors select 鈥� Allen Graves from Santa Clara University.鈥�
Graves was shown on ABC and ESPN reacting to the announcement and then hugging several people, including sharing a hug and handshake with Kezmarsky, as he headed to the podium to join Silver and receive his Raptors jersey and hat.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a pretty cool experience,鈥� Kezmarky said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 almost surreal in the moment. You鈥檙e really happy for him. Seeing the look on his face, his wife鈥檚 face, his sister鈥檚 face, that鈥檚 the coolest part about it.
鈥淲e obviously did our job and we got him there but their lives change so much. He鈥檚 going to be a millionaire and he鈥檚 going to be living in Canada. It is really so nice to see it happen for him.鈥�
Kezmarsky related the moment from his and Curtin鈥檚 perspective.
鈥淔irst things first, it鈥檚 a huge sigh of relief,鈥� Kezmarsky admitted. 鈥淧ersonally, and probably a little bit selfishly, it felt good being able to look around the building and know that me and Dan knew what we had and we never wavered on it. It鈥檚 an extremely satisfying moment.鈥�
Kezmarsky then got a few moments to rest and reflect.
鈥淵ou actually have a good amount of time to celebrate,鈥� Kezmarksy said. 鈥淗e goes in the back right away and starts doing media so we didn鈥檛 see him again for about an hour. At that point we were able to kind of relax as a family and a team and be happy in the moment.
鈥淲e stayed for a good bit of the rest of the picks. It鈥檚 common courtesy to sit there. Our phones are blowing up. A lot of people are telling us thank you. We are coordinating with the Raptors when he has to be there and all that. After that the whole team gathers in the hallway and gets pictures with Allen. He鈥檚 a different kid. Some guys go to the club. He went home and watched a movie.鈥�
DRAFT AFTERMATH
Kezmarsky and Curtin would soon accompany Graves to Canada.
鈥淭he next day we hung out in New York and watched the second round, then on Thursday, me, him, his brother, his dad and Dan, they flew us on a private plane to Toronto,鈥� Kezmarsky said.
鈥淲e get there, he does a press conference, they announce him and give him his jersey. We go to dinner. The following day he went to the World Cup game. Then we went to the Blue Jays game and he threw out the first pitch.鈥�
Graves and Kezmarsky are both back to work now.
鈥淎llen started minicamp (Sunday),鈥� Kezmarsky said. 鈥淗e鈥檒l play summer league with all the rookies and second-year guys, through July 19.鈥�
As for Curtin and Kezmarsky?
鈥淭hen we鈥檙e already right back trying to find next year鈥檚 Allen,鈥� Kezmarsky said.