Hedake becomes a permanent addition to EPIC’s roster
Stevin ‘Hedake’ Smith, one of the most iconic speakers on sporting integrity issues in the US, has agreed a permanent contract to deliver his captivating problem gambling awareness story to EPIC Global Solutions’ array of worldwide audiences.
Having first engaged with the leading experience-powered prevention specialists in July 2024 on an initial fixed-term contract, the former pro basketball point guard will now be taking up a permanent full-time role with EPIC to continue the considerable impact he has made in his first nine months with the organization.
Principally delivering to thousands of student-athletes and staff via the company’s recently-extended gambling harm education program with the NCAA, Hedake is also currently sharing his story with Minor League players in Arizona for Spring Training, and has been a keynote speaker through a mixture of conferences and media opportunities.
Hedake’s story – which extends back to a well-known point shaving scandal at Arizona State University back in the 1990s – remains pertinent to the present day. Many of the temptations that considerably impacted his collegiate and professional career are becoming ever-increasingly apparent as the expansion of legalized sports wagering in the US continues to coincide with high profile examples of sporting integrity issues.
Being able to return to a collegiate environment to try and help the next generation to ‘do the right thing’ – as he so often references in his presentations – was a key motivator in opting to take the permanent opportunity to work with EPIC, with Smith citing:
“I made the decision to work with EPIC based on the platform that they have and the commitment that has been made to speak to NCAA schools. I was once an athlete and have always wanted to have a platform to speak to student-athletes in hopes of making a difference and this gives me an opportunity to do so.
“Delivering my story has been challenging, but in a good way. I have met some awesome people and the feedback that I have received has been great. Each time I speak, I see it as an opportunity to grow.
“Joining the team full-time is my biggest highlight of working for EPIC so far, and I am looking forward to making a difference in these students’ lives, and not just the athletes, but students across the board.”
Extending the relationship with Hedake, whose NBA career with Dallas Mavericks was cut short due to the fall-out from his point shaving at ASU, has been welcomed as a major advance by EPIC CEO Paul Buck, who explained:
“Hedake has been a phenomenal addition to the EPIC team and the feedback from his sessions speaks for itself. His authenticity and raw story-telling is captivating every audience he addresses, ensuring they all take home the key message of how to stay on the right side of sporting integrity issues and be alert to the risk of gambling-related harm.
“The message he conveys will be of considerable benefit and importance to every audience he reaches as he extends his work with EPIC, with particular importance on the sessions he’ll continue to present to the next generation as part of our arrangement with the NCAA to educate student-athletes and staff until the end of 2027.”
NCAA colleges wanting to potentially book Hedake or any of EPIC’s fantastic array of speakers with personal experience of gambling-related harm can find details of fully-funded sessions at epicglobalsolutions.com/ncaa.
