Jaunups sharply criticizes agent Kalnītis over Sanon's thank-you post tied to VEF deal
Latvian commentator Edgars Jaunups has publicly criticized basketball agent Artūrs Kalnītis, claiming he pressured player Isuf Sanon to post a public thank-you to his agency over Sanon's VEF contract, despite having no role in the deal. Sanon later deleted the Instagram post.
Basketball agent Artūrs Kalnītis and his agency "BSA Basketball" have recently drawn attention over dealings with Russian clubs, to which several of the agency's foreign clients were reportedly sent. One of those clients is Ukrainian basketball player Isuf Sanon.
When Riga's VEF decided to sign Sanon, however, the club negotiated directly with the player, without involving the agent. No payments were made to the agent for any services.
The thank-you post and its removal
After signing with VEF, Sanon posted a message on his Instagram account thanking Kalnītis's agency. He later deleted the post.
Jaunups' response
Writing on X, Edgars Jaunups strongly condemned the agent's actions, alleging that Kalnītis took advantage of the fact that Sanon does not speak Latvian and is not connected to Latvia's information space, asking him to post public thanks for a deal in which the agent played no actual part. Jaunups called the move low and shameful.
He added that he intends to inform Sanon properly about Kalnītis's alleged pro-Russian conduct, stressing that it is important for people in Latvia to know about the agent's character and working methods. Jaunups reiterated that Kalnītis had no involvement in reaching the agreement with Sanon, will not receive any payment from it, and is not a party to the contract.
