US Football Agency “Athletes First” Expands into Basketball with New Representation Division

Athletes First, recognised as the largest football agency in American history, has announced its official expansion into basketball after twenty-five years of elite representation within the National Football League.

The diversification establishes a comprehensive basketball representation division designed to manage professional athletes and collegiate talent operating within the rapidly growing Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) landscape.

The new commercial division will operate under the leadership of David Mulugheta, president of Team Sports and the top-ranked NFL agent according to industry rankings.

To spearhead daily operations and drive market expansion, the agency has appointed seasoned basketball industry veterans Brandon James and John Noonan, who will report directly to Mulugheta.

Athletes First aims to deliver a vertically integrated service model spanning amateur development, collegiate NIL monetisation, and elite professional career management.

Reflecting on the rationale behind the expansion, founder and CEO of Athletes First, Brian Murphy, said: “We named this company Athletes First before we had a single client, and for 25 years every decision has been judged against one question: is this putting the athlete first?”

“That question was never about one sport. David, John, and Brandon will build basketball the way our people built football — do the right things, with the right people, for the right reasons,” Murphy said.

Echoing these sentiments, Mulugheta highlighted the calibre of the newly appointed leadership team and the operational framework established for the practice.

“Brandon and John bring the exact experience we need to build a basketball division the right way.”

“John has spent his career building relationships across every level of the sport, from grassroots to the NBA, and Brandon understands the business of basketball from both the team and agency sides.

“Together, they give us a real foundation to build this new division from NIL representation to a full-service basketball practice,” he said.

The move capitalises on the agency’s existing market dominance in collegiate representation while positioning the organisation to capture high-value commercial opportunities across professional basketball leagues.

Lastly, the practice integrates the organisation’s established collegiate basketball coaching representation portfolio, overseen internally by executives Scott Gaffield and Carmen Wallace, a certified National Football League and National Basketball Association agent and former collegiate player.

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