LIFT Sports Management

What LIFT Sports Management does

LIFT Sports Management is a boutique athlete representation agency founded in 2020 and headquartered in New York. The agency represents approximately 86 professional athletes across the NBA (18 clients), NFL (60 clients), and WNBA (8 clients), and also handles NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) representation for collegiate athletes. Named clients include Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr., and Maya Brady. The agency was co-founded by former NBA player Mike Miller and retired overseas professional Donnie McGrath, whose direct playing experience is positioned as a credibility and recruiting asset.

LIFT operates as a single unified service line built around athlete representation. Core offerings include contract negotiation, endorsement and sponsorship deal-making, brand partnership facilitation, talent marketing, and digital content strategy. Revenue is generated through commission-based fees on player contracts and endorsement agreements negotiated on behalf of clients; pricing is not publicly disclosed and is structured individually per engagement. The go-to-market motion is relationship-driven: the agency acquires clients through referrals, NCAA-level relationships, and earned credibility from marquee outcomes such as its 2026 NBA Draft performance, where LIFT placed five first-round selections and outperformed larger competitors including Klutch Sports, Excel, WME Basketball, and CAA.

In 2026, the agency has been executing an organizational buildout, adding a Chief Marketing Officer (Corey Vann, ex-CAA) in January, a new creators division led by Paul Coggiola (ex-UTA) in March, and promoting Layden Williams to Senior Director of Athlete Marketing. The marketing division is targeted to grow to approximately 15 individuals. The agency maintains no disclosed external funding, operates as a founder-owned private entity, and has no parent company or institutional investors on record. Technology infrastructure and AI/ML capabilities are not disclosed.

Name

LIFT Sports Management

Legal name

LIFT Sports Management

Website

https://liftsm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LIFT Sports Management is a boutique athlete representation agency founded in 2020, representing approximately 86 professional athletes across the NBA, NFL, WNBA, and NIL markets via commission-based contract negotiation, endorsement, and brand partnership services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Talent Management

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (71141), Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114)

akta.pro primary industry

Athlete & Talent Representation (Agents, Managers) (MPAKAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports Agents & Player Contract Negotiation Specialists (MPAKAMAB), Full-Service Athlete Talent Agencies (Contract Negotiation & Career Management) (MPAKAMAA)

Keywords

• Athlete representation
• Talent agency services
• Endorsement negotiation
• Sports marketing
• NIL representation

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Athlete Representation and Commission: LIFT Sports Management generates revenue through commission-based representation of professional athletes, earning percentages on player contracts, endorsement deals, sponsorship agreements, and media contracts negotiated on behalf of their clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

LIFT Sports Management is a boutique athlete representation agency that provides contract negotiation, endorsement and sponsorship brokerage, brand partnership development, marketing strategy, and digital content services to professional and collegiate athletes across the NBA, NFL, WNBA, and NIL markets. The agency earns revenue through commissions on negotiated player contracts, endorsement deals, sponsorship agreements, and media contracts on behalf of its athlete clients.

Product overview

LIFT Sports Management is a boutique talent agency founded in 2020 by former NBA player Mike Miller and retired overseas professional Donnie McGrath. The agency operates as a single unified service offering athlete representation across multiple sports leagues including NBA (approximately 18 clients), NFL (approximately 60 clients), WNBA (8 clients), and NIL programs. Services include talent marketing, brand partnerships, player endorsements, and digital content creation. The agency recently expanded with a new creators division led by Paul Coggiola from UTA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Athlete Representation Services Full-service athlete representation including contract negotiation, endorsement and sponsorship deals, brand partnership development, marketing strategy, and digital content services for professional athletes across NBA, NFL, WNBA, and collegiate NIL clients.
• Creators Division Dedicated representation service for media personalities and content creators, providing brand partnerships, content monetization strategy, and public relations support.

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Paul Coggiola (Individual Hire)coreOthers · 31 March 2026Paul Coggiola joined LIFT Management from UTA to lead a new creators division, bringing extensive industry experience and relationships from his tenure at United Talent Agency.
• Corey Vann (Individual Hire)coreOthersCorey Vann, a decade-long CAA basketball partnerships executive, joined as Chief Marketing Officer to build out the agency's marketing division and oversee talent marketing strategy across NBA, NFL, NIL, and WNBA clients.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• WME Sports (Endeavor): Major Hollywood/sports talent agency under Endeavor, parent of WME Basketball. WME placed 4 first-round picks at the 2026 NBA Draft, making it a direct NBA-representation competitor with substantially larger resources.
• CAA (Creative Artists Agency): Mega-Hollywood talent conglomerate with a substantial sports division. LIFT directly competed with CAA at the 2026 Draft (4 picks vs. 5) and poached Corey Vann, a decade-long CAA basketball partnerships executive, as CMO.
• United Talent Agency (UTA) Sports: Major Hollywood talent agency with a sports division representing athletes across multiple leagues. LIFT directly poached Paul Coggiola from UTA to launch its creators division, making UTA a direct talent competitor.
• Octagon: Global sports marketing and talent management firm representing athletes across multiple sports. Comparable multi-sport portfolio to LIFT but with substantially larger scale and broader sponsorship/event capabilities.

Direct peers

• Roc Nation Sports: Jay-Z-founded sports agency representing elite athletes across NBA, NFL, MLB, and soccer. Comparable full-service representation model with a strong brand/endorsement focus, similar to LIFT's positioning.
• Klutch Sports Group: Founded by Rich Paul, Klutch is the leading NBA-focused athlete representation agency. LIFT directly competed with and outperformed Klutch (3 first-round picks vs. LIFT's 5) at the 2026 NBA Draft.
• Wasserman: Global sports marketing and talent management agency representing athletes and properties across basketball, football, soccer, and more. Overlapping multi-sport athlete representation model similar to LIFT's NFL/NBA/WNBA portfolio.
• Excel Sports Management: Full-service sports agency representing athletes across basketball, baseball, golf, and tennis. Excel placed 3 first-round picks at the 2026 NBA Draft, directly competing with LIFT in the same recruiting pool.
• VaynerSports: Boutique sports talent agency founded by Gary Vaynerchuk with a focus on athlete marketing, social media, and brand building. Closely comparable boutique positioning and digital-content orientation to LIFT's emerging creators division.

Emerging players

• Range Media Partners: Newer sports/media talent agency representing athletes, creators, and entertainers with a hybrid creator-athlete model. Comparable to LIFT's expansion thesis into creator representation via its new creators division.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/liftsportsmngmt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lift-sm
• Instagraminstagram.com/p/DWhGvQilJ5Y/?img_index=1
• Facebookfacebook.com/LIFT-Sports-Management-100068531715777

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LIFT Sports Management