MEET THE GVO TEAM
MEET THE GVO TEAM
With a team of experts boasting years of experience in sports marketing, contract negotiation, and brand development, GVO is uniquely positioned to help you navigate the NIL landscape.
Gary Charles
Gary Charles is an unheralded legend in the world of Grassroots basketball.
Hailing from Roosevelt, Long Island, Charles founded a grassroots basketball program that has produced more than 20 NBA players, helped direct the legendary ABCD Camp, and started the Fab48 Tournament, which has since evolved into the Las Vegas Big Time Tournament, originally founded by Sonny Vaccaro in 1995. Currently, Charles works as the CEO/Founder for Advancement of Blacks in Sports (ABIS), an organization that he founded to increase racial equity in collegiate and professional athletics.
After graduating high school, Charles attended the nation’s first HBCU, Cheyney University, where he encountered hall-of-fame basketball coaches John Chaney and Vivian Stringer. He then went to work on Wall Street for more than two decades.
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Still, Charles’ love for sports persisted, so he started the Long Island Panthers, a grassroots basketball program, while working as a Systems Programmer on Wall Street. The Panthers have produced dozens of NBA players, including Lamar Odom, Wally Szcerzbiak, and Joakim Noah. Charles’s work attracted the likes of former sneaker executive Sonny Vaccaro, who famously signed Michael Jordan to his first shoe deal. Then, working for adidas, Vaccaro signed the Panthers to a shoe deal, the first grassroots program to receive such an honor. Through his relationships on the high school basketball circuit, Charles was also instrumental in helping adidas discover and eventually sign future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant.
Charles later landed the role of Associate Director of the ABCD Camp, a Camp that consistently attracted top recruits during its heyday from 1984 to 2006. Future NBA All-Stars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, and James Harden all shone at the camp.
Inspired by Vaccaro, who he watched launch adidas’ first sponsored tournament, Charles started what would become The Las Vegas Big Time Tournament in 2010. The tournament has since attracted a star-studded lineup of both recruits, including Bronny James, the 2021 NBA No. 1 overall pick, Cade Cunningham, and 2022 NBA Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, as well as fans such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, and former boxing champion Roy Jones.
Today, Charles is focused on diversifying the world of sports. Inspired by the very same people he looked up to as a youth, Charles’ ABIS boasts a coalition of coaches and competitors from various sports across the country. Through producing a list of top Black head coaches, teaching financial literacy to student-athletes and hosting panels, ABIS aims to make a difference.
“For over 30 years, I’ve watched the inequity that goes on in the game,” Charles said. “What we want to do is to stop some of this. ABIS wants to be the Voice for Racial Equity in Sports. We want to stop the discrimination of Black coaches, the players, Black administrators, and the vendors."
Domonique Louis-Charles
Domonique Louis-Charles brings a unique blend of sports, marketing, business, and legal experience to the NIL space.
A Long Island native, Domonique graduated from Long Island Lutheran High School in 2017, one of the nation's premier athletic programs. She went on to attend Syracuse University, where she studied Political Science on a Pre-Law track while serving as an Administrative Intern for Syracuse Men's Basketball under Hall of Fame Coach Jim Boeheim. During her time at Syracuse, she also worked for the NBA Summer League for two summers and graduated Cum Laude.
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She later earned her Master's degree in Public Relations with a concentration in Sports Marketing from Syracuse University's renowned Newhouse School, graduating with a 3.8 GPA. During this time, she launched her own apparel manufacturing company, Pretty Royalty.
Domonique then attended law school in San Diego, where she interned with Wasserman, working on contracts involving some of the WNBA's top athletes. She also served as Associate Director of the Las Vegas Big Time Tournament, gaining valuable experience in athlete development, sponsorships, and event operations.
After law school, she returned to New York, continued growing her business, worked in transactional law, and later became one of the youngest nonprofit directors in her region, leading marketing, sponsorship, and community engagement initiatives.
Today, Domonique provides strategic consulting while building Soft Sips, a luxury coffee brand in her hometown of Baldwin, New York. While her entrepreneurial ventures continue to grow, her passion for sports remains at the center of her work, helping student-athletes build their brands and maximize opportunities in the evolving NIL landscape.
THE GVO APPROACH
At GVO Sports, we understand that every athlete is unique. Our personalized approach means we take the time to understand your individual goals, strengths, and aspirations. We pride ourselves on building lasting relationships and providing tailored strategies that resonate with your personal brand, ensuring you stand out in a competitive market.