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Athletes First Is Taking Its NFL Playbook to the NBA. Here’s Why Now Was the Exact Right Time to Do It.

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Athletes First Is Taking Its NFL Playbook to the NBA. Here’s Why Now Was the Exact Right Time to Do It.

Top-ranked sports agent David Mulugheta explains why Athletes First waited 25 years to expand into a new arena, and what that patience can teach any entrepreneur.

For 25 years, Athletes First has been one of the most dominant players in the sports management game. Founded in 2001, the firm represents some of the NFL’s biggest names, including Ravens RB Derrick Henry and Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, and its President of Team Sports, David Mulugheta, is the top-ranked NFL agent on Forbes’ 2025 Most Powerful Sports Agents list.

Now the company is doing something it’s never done before: launching a full basketball division, adding industry veterans John Noonan and Brandon James to build out an NBA and NIL practice. Mulugheta spoke with Entrepreneur about why this was the perfect time to make the move.

Dan Bova: How long have you been with Athletes First?
David Mulugheta: I did an internship right before I started, summer or spring of ’08. So, 18 years.

What was your focus when you first started?
Figuring out how to get a job! I was an intern — printing, binding packages, getting lunch orders, picking up dry cleaning. I was doing as I was told while at the same time trying to figure out how to make myself indispensable to the company.

Athletes First is known for football. What made this the right time to launch a basketball division? We’ve always had our eye on continuing to diversify our business. We consider ourselves at the forefront of football representation, and we have what we believe is the best coaching practice in the business, representing NFL coaches, front office executives, and college coaches.


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