Back in his hay day, David Falk was a legendary sports agent. He managed many players in the 1990s, inarguably the most famous of whom are Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, and Alonzo Mourning. However, he soon found himself walking away from the craft whatsoever. And as he once explained to GQ, it was all due to how common $100,000,000 went on to become in the NBA.
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Less than 2 short decades ago, a $100,000,000 contract meant something in the NBA. It was reserved for the very best in the league, the generational talents that also worked hard to reach the very top of the NBA. However, today, players such as Dillon Brooks, serviceable role players in the league, are eligible to get $86,000,000 under the new salary cap after the league’s financial expansion.
David Falk walked away from being a sports agent because of his belief of how easy it is for NBA players today
David Falk had a lot to say when he was interviewed by GQ very recently. He was asked about the state of free agency in the NBA at the moment, and how it can often be a bit boring.
In response, he was opposed to the opinion that things have died down in the free agency market. Instead, he went off on a rant of his own, where he even brought up Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing to explain his point. Here is what he said.
“How do you differentiate Curry from Klay Thompson? How do you differentiate Giannis from Middleton? How do you differentiate Tatum from Brown? They created a system where it’s like gross homogenization.
Falk further spoke about player empowerment and how he was in favor of it. However, he also refused to believe that players today have any more power than they did in the 90s.
“You don’t think Michael Jordan and Patrick had power? Of course, they had power. But they were smart enough to know that they would never do those kinds of things (threatening to leave, refusing to play, and so on) publicly because it was inimical to the game that they love.”
Falk later said that he believed there is little to no contract negotiation now. Players often get the contract they want, sometimes even before free agency. And due to that, he felt there is no need for sports agents anymore, hence walking away from the craft himself.
He further talked about being against the rampant player movement, stating that it is detrimental to the NBA. He further stated the following.
“It makes it look less professional… In order to make more money as a 50-50 partner, they have to not attack the business, they have to grow the business.”
Admittedly, his words are hard to deny. While players deserve to have a voice, they are also a part of something bigger than themselves. Perhaps it is time to now look to be partners rather than empowered employees of these multi-billion-worth franchises.
Falk once also spoke on Michael Jordan’s ‘Once in a lifetime deal’
David Falk wasn’t a legendary sports agent for nothing. When Michael Jordan was starting to come into his own, he wanted to make sure the player was paid the big bucks for it. After all, his meteoric rise was conducive to the entire NBA’s ticket sales, not just the Bulls’.
So, during that time, he hatched an incredible plan, to get Jordan exactly what he deserved – the deal of a lifetime. Read all the details here.
