The John Dukakis Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan | Wednesday, October 12th 2005
1993 would also prove to be a time of great
sadness, as the Boston Celtics would lose one of the
keys to its future. Reggie Lewis, fast emerging as the
Next Great Celtic, would collapse during a playoff game
and then, against the advice of a medical dream team,
attempt to resume his professional basketball career
just two short months later. On July 27th,
1993, Lewis collapsed again while shooting baskets at
Brandeis University, and was pronounced dead two hours
later.
Woolf himself would pass away nearly four
months later, on November 30th, a loss felt
all the more deeply because of the way this sports
pioneer had chosen to live his life. He was a
businessman who cared about his clients on more than one
level, a decent human being who believed in fairness and
principle. He was the antithesis of those who would
follow in his footsteps, the anti-Drew Rosenhaus if you
will, and it was clear as to why he and his wife Anne
were such beloved figures throughout New England. At
one time or other, the Woolfs entertained entire teams
of Red Sox, Celtics, or Bruins players at their
unpretentious Chestnut Hill home, where they lived for
more than 30 years. All of their parties, their
daughter said, were held under a tent in the back yard.
During his entire career with the Celtics,
Larry Bird lived next door to the Woolfs. It remains a
testament to Woolf that Bird, a fanatically private
person, would welcome his agent into his inner sanctum.
No country bumpkin, Bird watched his money as close as
any professional athlete in history, and he knew that
Woolf wasn’t out to steal him blind.
Dukakis was also profoundly touched by the
loss of his friend and mentor. He had learned a great
deal from Woolf’s management style, and was impressed by
the way Woolf had handled himself with his famous
clients. It was a valuable lesson, and one that was put
into practice in 1994, when Dukakis formed a new venture
with his partner, Qadree El-Amin. Southpaw
Entertainment was a full service management company
that, in its early years, primarily focused on the
management of Boyz II Men. But after the
record-setting success of the 12X platinum "II" album,
the company took on new clients. Over the years,
Southpaw also handled the careers of Janet Jackson,
Vanessa Williams, Brownstone and Blackstreet.
In early 2002, John left Southpaw to take a
position as an Executive Vice President of Overbrook
Music, a music label as well as a full service
management company owned and operated by Will Smith and
his partner, James Lassiter. The company released the
multi-platinum-certified soundtrack for the film Wild
Wild West as well as the gold-certified soundtrack
for the film Love and Basketball. In addition to
Will, the company also manages Christina Vidal (MCA
Records, Nickelodeon's Taina), Jordan Knight (Interscope
Records), Deborah Cox (J Records), singer/songwriter
Javier (Capitol Records), Singer/songwriter Maria
(DreamWorks Records) and Samantha Mumba (Polydor/Interscope
records).
Dukakis continues to work for Overbrook and
lives in Los Angeles with his wife and his teenage
daughter. He is forever grateful for the trust placed
in him by the late Bob Woolf. He also remains a New
Englander at heart, and a Boston Celtics fan to the
bone. He and close friends Mark and Donnie Wahlberg are
usually in attendance when the Celtics play the Lakers
in Los Angeles, ignoring the good-natured ribbing from
A-List stars such as Jack Nicholson, and pointing back
to a time when the Celtics were kings of the basketball
universe.
Celtic Nation is honored to bring you this interview.
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