Director, Athlete Partnerships - Basketball

Fanatics Collectibles•Coppell, TX

About The Position

Fanatics Collectibles is looking for a strategic, athlete-savvy Director of Athlete Partnerships - Basketball to join our Athlete Partnerships team. Reporting to the VP, Athlete Partnerships. This role will oversee athlete strategy and engagement owning key relationships, managing partner execution, and ensuring talent integration across product, marketing, and brand initiatives. This position serves as a central point of contact between Fanatics Collectibles and a diverse set of stakeholders, including athletes, agents, leagues, and internal teams. As a leader within the Athlete Partnerships team, you will help drive innovation, scale athlete-driven product experiences, and bring basketball's most exciting voices into our collectible’s ecosystem.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in athlete management, agency, sports marketing, or talent partnerships.
Strong network within professional basketball (NBA, WNBA), including athletes, agents, and associations.
Demonstrated ability to build trust and rapport with athletes and representation and translate those relationships into meaningful long-lasting business partnerships.
Proven ability to drive athlete engagement strategies from ideation through execution.
Experience managing complex relationships and high-visibility talent deals.
Proven track record of managing and mentoring high-performing teams.
Strong project management skills with the ability to drive multiple initiatives from concept to completion in a fast-paced environment.
Comfortable working cross-functionally in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
Willingness to frequently travel as needed and support nights/weekends for key events.
Passion for basketball culture, collectibles, and innovation.

Responsibilities

Lead all basketball athlete engagement by owning and growing relationships with agents, players’ associations, league partners, and key athlete stakeholders.
Represent Fanatics Collectibles in high-level negotiations, partnership discussions, and relationship-building efforts.
Oversee athlete procurement and autograph execution, including contracting, scheduling, and deliverables.
Manage execution timelines and logistics for activations, signings, and campaign-related athlete support.
Ensure compliance with contractual obligations and internal processes.
Serve as the strategic partner to Product, Creative, Athlete Marketing, and Legal in delivering athlete-led initiatives.
Contribute to product planning by advising on athlete availability, alignment, and talent-driven storytelling opportunities.
Act as a connector between athlete engagement and go-to-market planning.
Serve as a leader elevating team members supporting basketball, other verticals, and cross-functional partners.
Help define and scale athlete engagement processes for maximum efficiency and consistency.
Partner with peers across Talent Partnerships to ensure strategic alignment and best practice sharing.
Stay up to date on basketball culture, athlete influence, and commercial trends.
Represent the basketball talent perspective in internal meetings and external touchpoints.