Director, Basketball & Player Engagement

ABOUT THE NBPA

The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) is the union for professional basketball players in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Established in 1954, the NBPA’s mission is to protect and advance the rights of our players. They are the game.

The NBPA advocates on behalf of the best interests of all NBA players, including through negotiating collective bargaining agreements, filing grievances on behalf of players, and counseling players on benefits and educational and post-NBA career opportunities. Business opportunities for players are generated by THINK450, the group licensing and partnership engine of the NBPA. With more than 80 active partnerships, THINK450 is dedicated to uncovering shared interests between players and leading brands to build more engaging collaborations.

The NBPA Foundation is dedicated to preserving the legacy of its members by supporting and assisting people, communities, and organizations worldwide. It spotlights and amplifies the global initiatives of professional basketball players, driving positive change through community building, charitable endeavors, and social entrepreneurship.

For more information, visit www.nbpa.com and follow @thenbpa on social.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Director, Basketball & Player Engagement is a player-facing role responsible for delivering value-added services. This role will ensure that the NBPA’s new basketball facility in Los Angeles is the preferred offseason destination for players and their stakeholders, supporting them on the basketball operations side, while cultivating key relationships across the basketball industry to enhance the player experience with a focus on offseason training.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:

• Serve as the on-the-ground NBPA point of contact in the Los Angeles market, operating with a high degree of autonomy to facilitate delivery of performance services at the NBPA LA Facility in collaboration with other Player Managers on the Player Experience team and with the Sports Medicine and Operations teams.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with players’ circle of influence, including trainers, agents, team performance staff, business manager etc.
• Lead in-market efforts for the development and activation of the NBPA LA Facility.
• Increase player utilization of the NBPA’s value-added services, maintaining the highest standards for the player experience.
• Maintain and update CRM data with accurate records of player interactions, ecosystem mapping, and engagement history.
• Manage and update the player engagement calendar, aligning touchpoints with seasonality, player availability, and emerging trends.

QUALIFICATIONS :

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and/or experience
• 5+ years of relevant experience working in professional sports, athlete services, or player development
• Strong understanding of basketball culture and the professional sports landscape
• Experience building trusted relationships with elite athletes or high-profile clients
• Existing relationships within the basketball ecosystem (agents, trainers, performance staff, etc.)
• Familiarity with managing engagement calendars aligned to seasonality and client availability
• Proven ability to deliver high-touch, client- or player-first services with excellence
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities independently
• Experience maintaining accurate records in a CRM or similar system
• Experience coordinating with Sports Medicine and/or Performance professionals
• Ability to operate autonomously while representing an organization with professionalism and discretion
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills across diverse stakeholders
• Experience in operating in a multicultural environment

PREFERRED:

• Experience activating programs, events or facilities for member or client engagement
• Comfort serving as an in-market representative and brand ambassador
• Foreign languages is a plus