Overview

In my business, I'm not a point guard. I'm a shooting guard. It's my job to go out and be a passionate advocate for my clients.

David Falk is considered by many to be the second most powerful man in basketball -- behind David Stern. He negotiated professional sport's first $100 million dollar deal for Alonzo Mourning, and closed over $400 million dollars in free agency deals during a 6-day period.
Falk's road to success in professional sports stemmed from a blue collar upbringing, where hard work and goal achievement sat at the forefront of daily rituals. His mother instilled in him to "Always shoot for the stars and never settle for anything less."

On the show, we talk about what it was like to sign Michael Jordan, represent him in negotiations with the Chicago Bulls, Nike, McDonalds, and Gatorade, as well as how Falk and his team restructured many of the rules in the current NBA Player Handbook, to prevent the cannibalization of player image/likeness by the NBA.

If you're in (or aspire to be) the business of sports, this show will equip you with a history of player representation, packed with anecdotes from MJ's career, the small and large (quite large) deals, and the celebrations. Falk and I also dissect certain core characteristics and soft skills that businesses and agencies are looking for.

David Falk

David Falk

Michael Jordan's Agent

Show Notes

1:55 David's Upbringing
6:00 The Importance of Relationships
10:30 Building Humility
13:20 Building A Foundation To Get Michael Jordan
16:40 The Problem With Today's Agencies
26:00 Getting His First Job at ProServ
34:10 Negotiating The Nike Shoe Deal
48:30 How To Differentiate Players As A Brand
51:00 The Marketing Success of Jordan
55:55 Finding Balance With Endorsement Deals
59:45 Scheduling Jordan's Endorsements
63:15 Opting Out Of The League Licensing Agreement
70:00 The Importance of a Strong Moral Compass

Noteworthy Resources