In 2015, I attended the “Sports Agent School” conference in Chicago, Illinois, which was a behind-the-scenes look at the NBA sports agent industry. The conference, hosted by ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla, featured a handful of former and current NBA agents and executives as panelists. One of them was Giannis Antetokounmpo’s agent. What stuck with me, among other takeaways, was the bond that he and Giannis formed during the agent selection process leading up to the 2013 NBA Draft, as they both hailed from Greece.
Fast forward to 2020, and not only did Alex Saratsis negotiate the richest contract in NBA history for the Greek Freak this month (5 years, $228 million), he also received a major promotion at Octagon earlier this week – Co-Managing Director of Octagon Basketball.
“I’m incredibly excited to take on this new position and continue to work side-by-side with [Co-Managing Director] Jeff [Austin] to grow Octagon Basketball and serve our clients,” Saratsis said, according to an Octagon press release, who joined the agency in 2009. “The collective dedication of our team, and innovative spirit of the agency, has always pushed us to design, secure, and deliver unmatched opportunities for the amazing athletes and people that we represent. I have no doubt we will continue that trend and blaze the trail for our clients for years to come.”
Prior to his promotion, the Northwestern alumnus served as Senior Director of Global Operations and, throughout his Octagon tenure, has been instrumental in developing and expanding Octagon’s basketball footprint around the globe.
“As an agent, Alex has created smart and strategic opportunities for our clients. As a business leader, he has enhanced Octagon’s global capabilities and footprint. We are thrilled to have Alex join Jeff as Co-Managing Directors of the division, and look forward to their driving years of continued partnership and success,” Phil de Picciotto, Founder and President of Octagon, said, per release.
In addition to negotiating Giannis’ supermax contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, Saratsis also recently negotiated a five-year max extension worth up to $195 million for Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo. Saratsis also represents Philadelphia Sixers guard Seth Curry, Los Angeles Lakers guard Dennis Schroeder, and Denver Nuggets guard Monte Morris, among others.