Jim Tanner, a UNC alumnus who has represented athletes in the NBA and WNBA, is being hired as the UNC men’s basketball program’s first ever executive director and general manager.
Carolina Names Jim Tanner Men's Basketball Executive Director & General Manager
?: t.co/yklSTAbUDv pic.twitter.com/769R81JGFA
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) February 25, 2025
“Both of my kids and I went to Carolina and we owe so much as a family to this university,” Tanner said in a statement Tuesday morning. “This is such an exciting opportunity, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. The landscape of college basketball has changed dramatically in a short period of time with NIL, collectives and the transfer portal. It’s a highly-competitive and constantly-evolving environment… I look forward to working with Coach Davis, the staff, [athletic director] Bubba Cunningham and the Carolina Athletics family.”
Tanner, originally from High Point, attended UNC on a prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship and graduated with a degree in English literature in 1990. He then attended law school at the University of Chicago, graduating in 1993 after studying under Barack Obama, who was then a professor at the school. Tanner initially began his professional career in Washington, D.C. with the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and served as a senior adviser for President Bill Clinton’s successful re-election campaign in 1996.
Since then, Tanner has embarked on a long career representing professional athletes. In total, he has represented 40 first-round picks in the NBA Draft, 12 top-five selections and Naismith Hall of Famers: Vince Carter, Ray Allen, Tamika Catchings, Tim Duncan, Grant Hill and Dominique Wilkins.
Also included in Tanner’s list of current and former clients are 17 UNC men’s basketball alumni, such as Tyler Hansbrough, Luke Maye and Justin Jackson. Current NBA stars such as the Memphis Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Jarrett Allen are represented by Tanner.
“We are so pleased and excited to bring on an individual with Jim’s decades-long legal and financial experience in negotiating contracts, in identifying top talent across the country and throughout the international game, who works with the best people in all aspects of the sport,” said Cunningham. “This is a new position at Carolina but it is one that numerous programs, including ours, have identified as essential to continue to compete at the championship level in college basketball.”
Tanner has twice been named one of Sports Illustrated’s “101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports.” The Washingtonian has recognized him as one of its “Top Lawyers” for media and sports law. Tanner is the president and founder of Tandem Sports + Entertainment, an agency based in Arlington, VA – just a few miles from head coach Hubert Davis’ former high school.
“I am excited and happy to have Jim join our staff and the UNC family,” Davis said. “Jim’s experience and knowledge is needed in helping us navigate contracts, the transfer portal and the advancement of this program. His resumé speaks for itself and his commitment to this university and community make him a great addition to the Carolina men’s basketball program.”
Though Tanner is the first general manager in the history of the UNC men’s basketball program, other programs in Chapel Hill have invested in the position. Head coach Mack Brown hired Patrick Suddes as his general manager during Brown’s second tenure with the Tar Heels, and new head coach Bill Belichick has brought in Michael Lombardi to fill that role. In the women’s basketball program, Liz Roberts is entering her second season as head coach Courtney Banghart’s GM.
A release from the men’s basketball program said Tanner is expected to “help manage the construction of the roster, negotiate contracts, identify and hire new scouting and analytics staff and spearhead player development programs.”
“It’s needed,” Davis said earlier in February. “There’s just so much stuff out there… so much on the plate that will take you away from doing the most important thing: coaching basketball.
“The old model for Carolina basketball just doesn’t work. It’s not sustainable. It has to build out, because there’s so many things in play: NIL, the transfer portal, agents, international players. You just need a bigger staff to be able to maintain things, and you need a bigger staff so I can do what I’m supposed to be doing, and that’s coaching basketball.”
Featured image via Jim Tanner
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