In a notable upset for the talent representation world, boutique firm Lift Management rose above Hollywood titans and some of the industry’s most established agencies on Tuesday night. Lift led all firms with five first-round picks in the NBA Draft -- Tennessee F Nate Ament, Stanford G Ebuka Okorie, Kentucky C Jayden Quaintance, Alabama G Labaron Philon Jr. and Iowa State F Joshua Jefferson -- giving the N.Y.-based agency more selections than any of its larger rivals.
The agency, founded in 2020 by former NBAer Mike Miller and retired overseas pro Donnie McGrath, headed into the night looking to capitalize off what McGrath believed to be its strongest and deepest draft class yet. The agency’s rise makes this year’s haul even more striking given its relatively modest draft history. Since its founding, Lift has produced just five first-round picks, including Magic F Paolo Banchero, Pistons G Wendell Moore, former NBAer R.J. Hampton, Pelicans G Jeremiah Fears and Bulls F Noa Essengue.
Early on, though, Lift was largely watching as its rivals populated the top of the board. Klutch Sports was the only agency to land two picks in the top 10, with North Carolina F Caleb Wilson and Arizona G Brayden Burries going fourth and 10th, respectively, both represented by Rich Paul and Lucas Newton. Within the top 15, Klutch, Excel, WME Basketball and CAA were the only agencies to have more than one pick.
Klutch finished the night tied for third with Excel at three first-rounders apiece. Excel’s class was spread across a wide swath of agents, with Jeff Schwartz, Mike Lindeman, Jared Mucha and Michael Tellem -- son of longtime executive Arn Tellem -- each responsible for at least one draftee.
Last year’s winners, CAA and Wasserman (now known as The Team), each had different stories. CAA continued its strong showing through professional drafts, tying with WME for second place with four selections. However, The Team had its weakest showing since 2022, representing only one round-one pick.
BYU F AJ Dybantsa continued a recent trend among No. 1 overall selections in pro sports by opting to go without traditional representation. In the NFL, Bears QB Caleb Williams and Titans QB Cam Ward took similar paths in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Dybantsa is the first recent No. 1 pick in the NBA to do so, though he is hardly operating alone: His father, Anicet “Ace” Dybantsa, and veteran executive Leonard Armato are expected to help guide his long-term business.
Houston G Kingston Flemings’ selection at eighth also marked a milestone, as he became the first NBA lottery pick represented by a women-owned agency in Primera Sports.
Klutch’s Paul and Newton and CAA’s Aaron Mintz and Maxwell Saidman all tied for first place among individual agents to represent the most round one clients with three each. In total, 14 different agencies represented at least one client in the first round.
