Who is here to help advance my career?
Key Learnings
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Take the decision to work with an agent very seriously because you are deciding to let someone act on your behalf.
Ensure your agent has certification from FIBA to work within International basketball as an agent.
Use different representatives (agent, financial advisor, and lawyer) for different parts of your personal and professional affairs.
Remember that the reputation you build at the early stages of your career will impact how marketable you are when you are playing at higher levels.
Build good relationships with your sponsors to increase the chances of renewing your contract.
A Player's mentor looks after the player’s best interests and personal development only.
A Players’ Mentor will help you develop your career and help you planning and identifying transitions.
Family plays a paramount role in the development of a player; however, they do not understand the specificities of the game, and, most of the time, they will not understand what is happening in your head.
Parents are primarily responsible for the overall evolution of the athlete as a person.

Educate yourself

Not all parents are former players or basketball fans with the knowledge to understand basketball as a sport, and professional basketball as a challenge. In order to support your child, you must educate yourself:

  • Educate yourself on the rules of the game so you can actively discuss with and understand your child.
  • Educate yourself on the development pathways available to your child in order to provide him/her with proper guidance and relevant opportunities.
  • Educate yourself on the pressures of being an athlete so that you can provide the proper support systems for your child. Too much pressure can turn a child away from sport while with the right attitude and support your child can learn just as much from losing as they can from winning.
  • Educate yourself on how developing athletes can balance sport and other parts of life so that you can guide your child as he/she makes life-decisions.
  • Educate yourself on the dangers related to drug-use, overtraining and other risky behaviour that are common among athletes so that you can be aware of any growing problems or issues your child is having.
  • Educate yourself on the role parents can play within a club or team and make yourself available for volunteering and actively engaging with the team.