NBA: All-Star Kevin Durant Finalizes Deal With Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports Agency

Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star power forward has officially signed with Roc Nation Sports after weeks of speculation. The move comes days after the sports agency founder, hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, was certified by the National Basketball Players Union to represent players as an agent.

"He has a 90.5 free throw shooting rate, the youngest player in NBA history to join the 50-40-90 club," wrote Jay-Z on Instagram. "A giving individual and a legend in the making. What more can I say?"

Durant, who parted ways with agent Rob Pelinka two weeks ago and has sponsorship deals with Nike, Sprint, Gatorade, Skullcandy headphones, BBVA Compass, 2K Sports, and Panini America, will not have Roc Nation Sports negotiating a new contract in the near future. Durant signed an $85 million extension with Oklahoma City in 2010 and is not a free agent until the 2015-2016 NBA season.

ESPN reports that although Durant is now a member of the Roc Nation Sports stable, Jay-Z has yet to sell his .067 percent share (1/15th of a percent) of the Brooklyn Nets, which may be in violation of National Basketball Association's bylaws, limiting Roc Nation Sports to only handle marketing deals.

Jay-Z has also ran into problems with the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) and was questioned by the union about breaking the new "runner rule", which prohibits agents from having associates who are not NFLPA-certified agents in attendance for recruiting purposes. The NFLPA met with Kim Miale, Roc Nation's new NFL agent, last week, after Instagram photos surfaced of New York Jets rookie quarterback Geno Smith and Jay-Z sitting together a week prior to the rookie signing with Roc Nation Sports.

Along with Smith, Durant joins four-time All-Star New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Canó, Super Bowl-winning wide receiver for the New York Giants Victor Cruz, and Tulsa Shock guard Skylar Diggins as clients for the upstart agency.

Roc Nation Sports was founded in April and has made huge strides in signing big names in part because of their partnership with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) Sports - who have big-time clout in Hollywood circles and connections all over the entertainment and music industry,

"A popular figure like Jay-Z brings these athletes closer to the entertainment industry than the typical agent," said Schiller to LatinosPost.com. "I believe the real driver here is CAA. Their place in the entertainment space is well-managed and experienced. These new associations will continue to grow."