In a bold move, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is severing ties with his agent, Joe Smith of Wasserman, to serve as his own representative. It’s a rare status to achieve in the NBA, making him one of the few superstars to represent themselves on the biggest stage.
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Insider Chris Haynes reported, “Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has parted ways with his representation. He will act as his own agent to represent himself for all on-court matters. As it pertains to marketing and all off-court ventures, I’m told Simon G of ‘I Love Management’ will still be on task for that.”
An NBA content creator responded to Haynes’ tweet by explaining how Shai’s decision can save him millions of dollars when he does sign his extension. After all, agents typically earn around 4% of the contracts they help negotiate.
The 26-year-old is currently at the tail-end of a 5-year $170 million contract that is signed through 2026-27. However, as a perennial MVP candidate and the leader of the 1st seeded OKC Thunder, SGA is set to sign a a new landmark extension over the next season.
Gilgeous-Alexander is eligible for 4-year $293 million supermax extension. By taking out his management, the Thunder guard can now save up to an additional $12 million from his upcoming deal.
Agents can charge up to 4%
SGA is eligible to sign 4-year, $293m supermax extension this offseason
No idea if it’s a motivator, but he would save up to $12m in Agent fees by representing himself https://t.co/8sY4pxBose
— Lucas Burns (@nba_indepth) February 19, 2025
Of course, the three-time All-Star is already a multi-millionaire, and with much of his career to look forward to, securing generational wealth is not going to be a concern for Shai. However, it is notable that he parted ways with Wasserman prior to the signing of his impending extension.
To be fair, he wouldn’t ‘desperately’ require an agent to negotiate on his behalf anyway since his game has been doing all the talking. The Thunder are expected to do everything in their power to retain the Canadian guard, who is leading the league in scoring this season.
Perhaps Gilgeous-Alexander intends to go down the Michael Jordan route. Popularized by the movie ‘Air’, fans are now familiar with how pivotal a role Deloris Jordan played in the landmark deal between her son and Nike. Similarly, some modern stars have continued to keep the business in their family.
Kyrie Irving currently hires the only Black female to represent an NBA player. She just so happens to be his stepmother too. 4 years ago, he asked Riley Irving to leave her role as vice president of ad sales for BET and become his agent, and the CEO of his company, A11Even Sports.
However, SGA will differ from this route if he remains without an agent. The last time an NBA player of his stature represented themselves was in 2021. After leaving Creative Artists Agency, Joel Embiid finalized a 4-year $196 million extension with the 76ers that saw him keep the entire cut.
This is rather uncommon in the NBA, where agents play a vital role in player movement. However, the NFL has seen more relevant examples of self-representation in recent years. During the 2023 offseason, Lamar Jackson negotiated a 5-year $260 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens. He saved $7.8 million from that deal by serving as his own agent.
