Morning Buzz

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.

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No. 2 overall NBA Draft pick Darryn Peterson has signed a “massive long-term deal with Adidas to headline the next generation of the brand.” Sources said that the total value commitment makes Peterson’s Adidas contract “a Top 5 richest rookie shoe deal in NBA history” (X, 6/23). Peterson previously signed an NIL contract with Adidas in 2023 and is “now coming off a stellar freshman year at Kansas,” which is an Adidas school (BLEACHER REPORT, 6/23).

Elsewhere during the NBA Draft, No. 8 overall pick Kingston Flemings “has signed a shoe deal with Nike” (X, 6/23).

The NBA is still riding the wave created by the excitement around the Knicks’ first championship in 53 years, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver feels like the league can “continue to build on this momentum” going into the offseason and the 2026-27 campaign. Silver, speaking on ESPN prior to Tuesday’s draft, noted interest in the regular season “was way up this year” in the first year of the new rights agreement. He also pointed out that in-arena attendance over the last few seasons “has been at an all-time high in this league.” The season concluded with the Knicks-Spurs finals gaining the highest TV viewership since Michael Jordan’s final title win with the Bulls in 1998. Silver said, “As a lifelong New Yorker, I don’t remember excitement around anything like this.”

Silver also addressed the NBA’s expansion efforts, saying the expectation is that a decision will be made by the “end of this calendar year at the latest” as to whether the league will or will not add any teams for the 2028-29 season. The league is focused on Seattle and Las Vegas -- Golden Knights owner Bill Foley earlier this week officially launched a bid for an NBA franchise -- and Silver said, “The groups are coming together -- talking to bankers, talking to the league office.” However, he cautioned, “No decisions have been made yet. … We could decide ultimately to go to no new cities, one or two” (“2026 NBA Draft,” ESPN, 6/23).

The St. Louis Cardinals have scheduled a news conference for Wednesday at Busch Stadium to “discuss details of a new look to their ‘organizational leadership.’” Cardinals Chair Bill DeWitt Jr. and his son, club President Bill DeWitt III, “will be present to announce what the team called ‘important news’ regarding ‘ownership and organizational leadership.’” DeWitt III has “taken on a more prominent and public role over the past several years,” and that has “included a larger presence” in team news conferences and MLB meetings. Wednesday’s news conference is “expected to address his rising role with the club,” as well as “any other promotions or changes planned within the leadership structure.” DeWitt Jr. first disclosed that the team was “discussing what the future leadership would look” like this past offseason at the team’s annual Winter Warm-Up fan festival. Now 84, DeWitt Jr. has served as team Chair & COO since 1996 (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 6/23).

The Department of Homeland Security is “changing the guidelines for Iran’s national soccer team ahead of its third World Cup match on Friday to accommodate extra time afforded to other countries in the tournament.” The team will now be allowed to travel to Seattle “two days before their game, allowing for an extra day beyond the 24-hour window” given to Iran for its first two games. But the team will “still be asked to depart for its home base in Tijuana, Mexico, after the match wraps up.” The shift comes as the Iranian soccer federation lodged an official complaint with FIFA over its treatment in the U.S. so far. The other 47 teams have been able to “travel to matches earlier and stay afterward for recovery time if they prefer” (NBCNEWS.com, 6/23).

White House World Cup Task Force Exec Dir Andrew Giuliani said the change was “planned on our end.” Giuliani: “We were going to look at how the first two movements went, and if they went smoothly, we would extend the extra day in light of the longer travel time.” It is “unclear whether Iran’s upcoming opponent, Egypt, will also be allowed to arrive in Seattle two days early.” After its game in Vancouver on Sunday, Egypt “asked to fly directly to Seattle,” but FIFA “denied that request” (AP, 6/23).

The Tartan Army has taken over Miami after two games in Boston, and the ticket prices to see Scotland’s soccer team play next are the highest on the busiest World Cup day yet. The get-in price for Scotland-Brazil in Miami is $3,543, up 91% since the start of the tournament, 31% over the past three days and 34% over the past seven, according to TicketData.com. Other games reaching four digits are Canada-Switzerland in Vancouver at $1,102 (up 63% since the start of the tournament) and Czechia-Mexico in Mexico City at $1,597 (down 4% since the start of the tournament). The remaining three games offer more manageable prices with Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Qatar at $396, Morocco vs. Haiti at $416 and South Africa vs. South Korea at $525. SBJ has partnered with TicketData.com to track get-in prices and trends for upcoming games. For additional information on games, visit the World Cup page at TicketData.com.

Nike in December “quietly exercised its option to add two years to its existing deal” with UCLA. The extension means a deal originally scheduled to expire on June 30, 2027, will now go through June 30, 2029. Under the terms of the contract, UCLA will receive $7M in retail value of Nike and Jordan Brand gear for the 2026-27 school year -- the final year of the original deal -- as well as $7.1M in gear for the first option year and $7.25M in gear for the second option year. UCLA will also receive $500,000 in cash for each of the next three school years. The school is “permitted to increase its cash compensation and reduce its product allotment on a 1:3 ratio, up to a maximum of 25% -- unless a greater amount is approved by Nike.” Extending the option was “something of a no-brainer for Nike considering the deal is widely considered favorable to the footwear giant in terms of return on investment” (CALIFORNIA POST, 6/23).

The IOC on Wednesday will “consider changes to the Olympic Charter” which “aim to reinforce the political neutrality of sport.” The amendments would “strengthen language emphasising that sport should be free from political interference.” One would “stress the IOC’s role in ensuring neutrality ‘at all times, free from governmental, cultural, societal or economic pressure.’” The IOC says the ​reforms are “designed to protect athletes and competitions from outside influence” and “prevent the Olympic Games from ​being used for political purposes.” Observers say it also “could ‌influence future decisions on Russian athletes taking part” in future Games (REUTERS, 6/23).

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson on Tuesday “implored the city to commit to funding its part of the Moda Center renovations using the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund.” Wilson, in a letter published in his newsletter, noted that the state of Oregon has already committed $365M in funding for the project, while Multnomah County will contribute $88M. However, funding is “contingent upon the city of Portland contributing” $120M. Wilson wrote, “If our PCEF committee believes that a portion of the funds they steward would be most impactful as part of the renovation process, we should rally behind their decision, including if it means diverting unspent funding from other projects.” Peyser notes Wilson also ”called out critics of the city funding the Moda Center renovations” (PORTLAND BUSINESS JOURNAL, 6/23).

Wilson also wrote, “Our share may be comparatively smaller, but it’s enough to put the brakes on the project if we don’t take our role seriously.” The renovation is meant to “ensure the Trail Blazers stay in Portland, rather than skipping town for another city -- a looming threat that has swirled” after Tom Dundon purchased the team earlier this year. Dundon is set to make his first appearance at the arena for a business summit on Wednesday (WILLAMETTE WEEK, 6/23).

ATP Tour is looking for a Dir/Sporting & Commercial Analytics. The London-based position is responsible for leading the execution of data and analytics strategy with a new, centralized operating model and installing a roadmap for organization-wide AI adoption (ATP Tour).

Charlotte 49ers Ventures are looking for a VP/Corporate Partnerships. The Charlotte-based position is responsible for executing corporate partnerships strategy designed to maximize revenue growth, brand exposure and long-term partner retention (Charlotte 49ers Venutres).

Houston Dynamo FC are looking for a VP/Strategy & Analytics. The Houston-based position is responsible for leading annual strategic planning processes, including materials prepared for senior leadership by developing growth strategies across revenue streams (Houston Dynamo FC).

Versant Media is looking for a Manager/Brand Marketing. The Stamford-based is responsible for planning, developing and executing marketing campaigns across Versant’s sports, as well as some entertainment properties (Versant Media).

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“One of the titles the U.S. President has includes nicknames for 2 NFL teams that represent these cities.”