Copyright Entrepreneur
When professional basketball player Donnie McGrath retired from the game, he didn’t stay inactive for long. In 2020, he co-founded LIFT Sports Management, bringing on two-time NBA Champion and Olympic gold medalist Mike Miller as the company’s president. Since its launch, LIFT has scored some big wins for its clients, including Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero, who signed a five-year, $287 million max rookie contract extension this past summer. McGrath joined the How Success Happens podcast to share his personal and career journey. Check out the episode here and read highlights of the conversation below. Subscribe to How Success Happens to get a dose of inspiration twice a week! Apple | Spotify | YouTube What’s different about LIFT compared to other management companies? LIFT is a fast-growing, best-in-class sports agency, representing athletes on and off the court/field, with divisions in both basketball and football. What separates LIFT from other agencies is that it was started by athletes. Mike Miller and I bring over 35 combined years of professional basketball experience to the table. We know what today’s players want and we’re best positioned to deliver. What inspired you to create this business? My motivation behind creating LIFT was driven by my experience as a pro athlete and understanding the importance of strategic management, guidance and opportunities. It’s not about just thriving on the court but also building a brand and taking control of their future in the business world. I had always been interested in the agency space and had previous success connecting athletes to business opportunities. My “aha moment” was probably in 2018 as my playing career overseas was coming to an end. It was also coinciding with a crazy NBA free agency frenzy that summer, as I watched some of my best friends sign massive deals. I knew I wanted to work directly with players as my way to stay around the game. With my experience and network, I felt like I could really make a positive impact on athletes’ careers and build a real business around it. Can you tell us about a setback and how you pushed forward? Losing two projected lottery picks prior to the 2025 NBA Draft. It’s the nature of the business — a learning experience for us — but losing those two clients hit us hard. Instead of taking a step backwards, it was time to focus on coming back stronger as an agency, and we did. We were able to sign other lottery picks in the same draft year, and so it was rewarding to see Jeremiah Fears and Noa Essengue both go in the Top 12 on draft night. Beyond that, it was more motivation for all our agents and staff at LIFT to continue to build and be resilient as we prepare for next year’s NBA Draft. I feel great about our current client roster and where we are overall. Related: They Got Fired. This Mindset Shift Helped Them Bounce Back Stronger. Any standout moments that make you particularly proud? When our client, Paolo Banchero, signed his five-year, $287 million max rookie contract extension this past summer. For a couple of reasons, firstly, because Paolo put his confidence in us by signing when we were still a new and emerging agency. It has been amazing to see him grow to this point since the start of his career. And secondly, it was rewarding to see Mike [Miller] guide the contract negotiation process to perfection. He was able to negotiate a player option on the last year of Paolo’s deal, the first for a rookie max since 2021. Many people doubted that Mike was going to be able to get that in the contract, and he proved people wrong. This past summer, we negotiated $650 million in total contract value for our NBA clients during free agency. That is something I am proud of and reflects our hard work and the momentum we are building, and it signals even greater growth ahead. What’s a productivity tip that you swear by? Communication is everything, in my opinion. I try to communicate with everyone at the agency as much as possible. As CEO, I wear a lot of hats, and I am talking to almost everyone at LIFT daily. This helps me get a feel for everything that’s going on within the company as it relates to clients and within our internal team. What’s one thing you wish you knew when you started out that people looking to get into your field should know? Don’t get too high and don’t get too low. Consistency is the key; in sports and in this industry, there are tons of ups and downs. You just must ride the wave, control what you can control, and not let the highs or lows have too much of an effect on you. You must continue to work hard consistently and remember that working in sports is a privilege. You can never lose that perspective. What does the word “entrepreneur” mean to you? To me, the meaning of ‘entrepreneur’ has evolved over time. Initially, I thought it simply meant someone who creates a new business venture. Now I see it as much more than that — it’s about embodied entrepreneurship. This means sustaining what you’ve built, persevering through challenges, and refusing to accept failure. Anyone can start something, but a true entrepreneur is someone who makes it long-lasting through perseverance and a willingness to take risks. Subscribe to the How Success Happens newsletter for powerful leadership tools and tips. What is your definition of success? Success to me isn’t about having the most clients or growing to the biggest agency. It’s about having clients that never leave us because of the great work we are doing and the way we go about it. In this business, success is serving clients with integrity and being intentional about how we operate our business. I also believe a key signal of success is when others want to join you. It has been rewarding to see how many talented and experienced agents and executives have wanted to join us. They’ve left well-established agencies because of the excitement of building something special. Another metric of success is having a culture within the organization where people are energized to work together and share the same vision. About How Success Happens Each episode of How Success Happens shares the inspiring, entertaining and unexpected journeys that influential leaders in business, the arts and sports traveled on their way to becoming household names. It’s a reminder that behind every big-time career, there is a person who persisted in the face of self-doubt, failure and anything else that got thrown their way.
