SPORTS n ON THE BALL WITH JERROD MUSTAF
KIM DAVIS
Changing the Face
of NBA Agents
By Jerrod Mustaf
I recently sat down with Kim Davis, ESQ,
one of a handful of female certified NBA
agents in this masculine industry. Kim, who
graduated from the University of Maryland
in the early 90’s, knew that she wanted to
be a sports agent while sitting sideline in
Cole Field House during the tumultuous
years of Terrapin basketball following the
Len Bias tragedy. As an avid basketball fan
in an area rich with basketball tradition, she
rarely, if ever, saw any women in interviews,
representing the players, or being consid-
ered in any management capacity.
Even though she was focused on even-
tually becoming a sports agent, Kim rec-
ognized that she needed to develop her
skill sets in a variety of aspects before she
would be ready to compete with men in
this industry. She was able to earn some
stripes on the ruthless AAU circuit as a sin-
gle mother and director of a travel team.
There she witnessed the familiar horror sto-
ries of families being led astray with broken
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and unfulfilled promises the moment their
sons show hints of potential.
She had this to say about navigating this
male dominated industry as a woman. “A
lot of people assume that I am a man when
seeing my name because it is unisex. But
once they meet me, being a woman can
be an advantage competing for clients. I
would be rich if I could count the number
of times parents have remarked on how de-
tailed I am. Apparently, my male counter-
parts don’t really value dotting the I’s and
crossing their T’s as we would expect. Yet
I still have to work twice as hard to prove
my knowledge of the game. People have a
difficult time accepting that women abso-
lutely know this game as well as the men.”
As I was listening to Kim recount a story
of one of her clients that was sent to her
by a rival agent who didn’t have the inter-
est in fighting for his client, I realized that
compassion may be a valuable trait that
women agents have over men. “I was prac-
tically given a player who was two years
removed from major college basketball.
He signed with a popular sports agency
his final season in college and was listed
on NBA draft boards but went undrafted.
He was advised to remain stateside and
wait for an NBA G-league opportunity that
never materialized. I was finally placed on
a conference call with him and his agent
when they reached out to me to handle his
representation. Once I heard the tone of
his voice and how his broken spirit sound-
ed when he asked if his professional career
was over, I knew that I had to help him. As
a mother of a son who dreamed of play-
ing professional basketball, I knew that I
was probably this young man’s last hope to
salvage his dream. I was able to work on
a strategy with him that secured him a lu-
crative multi-year contract in Asia where he
won a championship.”
Kim revels in the fact the she has been able
to help her players navigate and thrive not
only on the court-but off the court in family
matters. Her ability to empathize with fam-
ilies and connect with mothers is definitely
an asset for agency.
As a former University of Maryland gradu-
ate, Kim Davis is planning to refocus some
of her energies back in College Park. There
certainly will be a ton a talent on the Ter-
rapin roster this season. Kim definitely will
have their backs!
Jerrod Mustaf
Executive Director
Take Charge Juvenile
Diversion Program, Inc.
www.Takechargeprogram.org
www.Takechargepride.com
301.420.7395
STOCK (TOP)
T
he NBA has been the runaway
leader for the American profes-
sional sports leagues in social
progress across the spectrum
over the past decade. Increasingly, the NBA
is using its vast platform to challenge how
progressive values are heard, to influence
social issues like anti-LGBTQ legislation, the
Black Lives Matter Movement and the hiring
of women for traditionally male roles.