Lift Management enters Tuesday night’s NBA Draft with as many as five projected first-round picks, a showing that could place the 6-year-old agency alongside industry heavyweights CAA Sports, Klutch Sports Group and The Team.
For a firm founded in 2020 by former NBAer Mike Miller and retired overseas pro Donnie McGrath, the draft represents a potential turning point in its emergence as a player in NBA representation.
The agency has produced five first-round picks, including 2022 No. 1 overall selection Paolo Banchero. It could match that total tonight.
Players represented by Lift include Tennessee F Nate Ament, Alabama G Labaron Philon, Kentucky F/C Jayden Quaintance, Iowa State F Joshua Jefferson and Stanford G Ebuka Okorie. Internally, executives see this year’s group as the deepest draft crop the agency has handled and a reflection of its broader growth strategy.
“We probably have the most draftable guys as compared with the past years,” said Lift co-founder and CEO Donnie McGrath. “It’s a statement of the growth of the agency, and of some of the agents that are gaining more experience. As we grow, more clients are putting their faith in us.”
Unlike many rival agencies, Lift’s recruiting pitch is built around former players. Miller’s résumé as Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year and a two-time NBA champion remains a central selling point with prospects and their families.
“Having people who have walked in those shoes before, players who have been stars, role players, everything in between, that’s something families gravitate toward,” McGrath said.
Banchero remains the crown jewel of Lift’s draft track record. The agency also represented Wendell Moore, R.J. Hampton, Jeremiah Fears and Noa Essengue as first-round selections.
While CAA Sports and The Team remain among the dominant forces in NBA representation, Lift enters the draft with one of the strongest projected first-round classes in the industry.
Lift has five NBA agents and roughly 20 staffers on the basketball side, part of a broader headcount that is approaching 50 employees across football, WNBA and a growing creator division. That content and creator arm, McGrath said, is increasingly relevant as brands shift more marketing dollars toward digital-first campaigns and as players look to build their own platforms earlier in their careers.
