About Gary
Speaker, educator and mentor.
Gary Durrant has lived basketball at every level: player, coach, front office executive, agent and TV analyst. He has also spent 15 years in Ontario classrooms, most of them teaching students who had been suspended or expelled.
He shares that story everywhere from elementary schools to boardrooms, by being relatable, candid and open. His audiences leave feeling empowered, armed with solutions and hope.
Where it started
Humble beginnings in Jamaica
Gary grew up in Manchester, Jamaica, raised on the strong life lessons of the elders around him. He still calls those lessons the secret to his success, and he loves to share them.
He moved to Toronto as a teenager and found basketball at a local community centre. The game gave him structure, purpose and a path forward.
The court
Valedictorian, scholarship athlete, champion
Gary earned a place at Milford Academy, a prep school in Connecticut, where he graduated valedictorian and was nominated as a McDonald's All American. That opened the door to a full basketball scholarship at Florida Atlantic University.
In March 1999, during Final Four week in Tampa and live on ESPN, he won the NCAA Slam Dunk Championship. One of his dunks cleared a seated Dick Vitale. He then played professional basketball in Europe, and taught English in local schools while he was there.
The classroom
15 years as an educator
After retiring from professional basketball, Gary earned his Bachelor of Education and spent 15 years with the York Region District School Board as a secondary school teacher and guidance counsellor. Most of that time he taught students who had been suspended or expelled.
He also served as the board's community liaison to the African and Caribbean communities. His purpose has never changed: help young people get the information they need and reach their potential.
I think once you are an educator, you never stop being one.
The community
Building something bigger than basketball
Gary founded and ran the Gary Durrant Basketball Association for 15 years, a non-profit offering young people across Ontario coaching, tutoring, mentoring and help finding scholarships. Its motto said it all: Academics + Athletics = Success.
With the York Region District School Board he hosted the Slam Dunk Career and Mentorship Fair in Markham, and through programs like Cops and Kids he put police officers and young people on the same team. York Regional Police honoured him with its Community Award for Leadership and Mentorship.
The business of basketball
Executive, agent and analyst
Gary was President of the Oshawa Power in the National Basketball League of Canada, and today he is President and Founder of Durrant Sports Management Inc. He is a certified sports agent licensed with the NBPA, NCAA and FIBA.
He has also worked as a TV basketball analyst, including as a panelist on NBA TV Canada.
At a glance
Credentials
- Valedictorian, Milford Academy (Connecticut)
- McDonald's All American nominee
- Full basketball scholarship, Florida Atlantic University
- NCAA Slam Dunk Champion, 1999
- Professional basketball in Europe
- Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
- Bachelor of Education
- Secondary school teacher and guidance counsellor, Ontario
- Founder, Gary Durrant Basketball Association (15 years)
- Community Award for Leadership and Mentorship, York Regional Police
- President, Oshawa Power, National Basketball League of Canada
- President and Founder, Durrant Sports Management Inc.
- Certified sports agent: NBPA, NCAA and FIBA
- TV basketball analyst
- Motivational speaker and workshop facilitator for corporate and NGO clients
For organizers
Official bio
Gary Durrant is the President and Founder of Durrant Sports Management Inc.
Gary holds a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. His childhood stems from humble beginnings in Manchester, Jamaica. The strong life lessons driven into him by the elders in his life are some of the secrets to his success, which he loves to share. Gary is a well-respected and prominent figure in the North American and international basketball communities, with a successful career immersed in all levels of basketball, from professional player to coach, front office executive and TV analyst. Durrant understands the intricacies of the game of basketball.
As a certified sports agent licensed with the NBPA, NCAA and FIBA, Durrant provides his clients with a unique approach that draws on his lifetime of experiences and contacts, both in the basketball world and in business. After retiring from playing professional basketball, Gary became a teacher and worked for the York Region District School Board for 15 years. Most of his career was spent teaching students who were suspended and expelled. Gary served as the Community Liaison for the school board to the African and Caribbean communities. Gary believes his purpose in life is to assist the younger generation with getting the information they need and maximizing their potential.
Durrant provides pathways to success by sharing his story on a variety of platforms, from elementary schools to business executives around the world. Gary engages his audience by being relatable, candid and open. His audience leaves feeling empowered, armed with solutions and hope.
Elevate your next event with Gary Durrant.
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