Who is Mona Halem?

By Brittni Michaelis

Ever heard of Mona Halem? Well, me neither, until this weekend when I read Hannah Karp’s article, Why Pro Athletes Love Toronto. Toronto, a once forgotten and dreaded town to travel to because of the cold weather and lack of star power, has recently shot to fame in thanks to Mona Halem.

Mona Halem next to Devon Harris and Richard Jefferson

Halem, a event planner and club promoter, works along side the best of the best in the athletic industry. As a former employee of the Air Canada Centre, Halem had already begun building relationships with NBA players, specifically those who played for the Toronto Raptors, whose home court was the Air Canada Centre. Now owning her own business, Lady Luck Entertainment, Halem has become “notorious” throughout the sports world according to Raptors forward Antoine Wright. She has the ability to bring together the most attractive girls to accompany and party with visiting team players.

Just how important has Halem made the Toronto nightlife? Well, the New York Knicks were in town last week and rookie guard Toney Douglas said he isn’t a fan of cold weather and going out after games but he heard, “that Toronto, “party-wise,” was one city worth making an exception for. “It’s something different – it’s another country,” said Douglas, according to Karp.

Douglas attended a Halem party, “New York Meets Toronto” that she had been promoting for some time on the social networking site, Facebook. Better known as “the boss” to resident athletes of Toronto, Halem greeted players and chatted with others like she has been known to do.

How strong is Halem’s reputation? It is tough to say unless you experience her and her events first hand, however Darren Sanders, the Baltimore Ravens director of security, says of Halem, “She is definitely on our radar.” In her article, Karp states that, “his team was told recently about the growing popularity of Toronto among athletes, and about her role in making it so.”

Not only is Toronto becoming, “the place to visit” because of a mostly paparazzi free “party zone” and constant new improvements to the city, but athletes like LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal and Chris Bosh love the 416 because of the nightlife Halem has created.

Halem’s new found celebrity has also brought along harsh critisim from many. Recently many people have accused Halem of running an escort service, claiming that Halem offers more than a great experience at clubs and events.  An unnamed sports executive who works with two Toronto sports teams said, “Mona is the Rachel Uchitel of Toronto,” referring to the New York club hostess who has been linked to golf superstar Tiger Woods.”

Some would say that there is no such thing as bad press for Halem, yet Mona thinks that the comparison is unfair. According to SPORTSbyBROOKS, Halem said, “That’s not a comparison. If she’s a party planner, sure, but that other stuff, come on. It’s totally unfair. I think because it’s a male dominated industry. Because I’m a female, maybe that’s what led to that.” Halem’s response to the accusations that she runs an escort service? “Wow, no, definitely not! There are four or five other top promoter and event coordinators in the city and they are all men and none of them get asked that question.”

Pictures of Mona Halem alongside players like Richard Jefferson, Chris Bosh, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, and even one that looks like she is enjoying the company of rapper, Jay-Z, shows that she likes to have fun and play hard. Yet, she may not be as innocent and fun as she seems. SPORTSbyBROOKS is claiming that they talked to an NBA staffer and, “The staffer told me that league players have long been hooking up with “Halem’s girls,” with her “services” to the ballers often going beyond bottles.”

Toronto may not have papparazzi flooding the streets waiting for B level celebs, but you can always count on Mona Halem for a little flavor.