Staff Directory
Tanner, Jim
Jim Tanner
- Title:
- Executive Director & General Manager
- Phone:
- 919-962-1154
Jim Tanner, the Founder and President of Tandem Sports + Entertainment who has represented more than 70 NBA players over a 28-year career, was named Executive Director and General Manager of the University of North Carolina men’s basketball team in February 2025.
Tanner helps manage the construction of the roster, negotiate contracts, identify and hire new scouting and analytics staff and spearhead player development programs.
A 1990 Carolina graduate, Tanner represented 40 first-round NBA Draft picks, including 12 top-five selections, and six inductees in the Naismith Hall of Fame (UNC’s Vince Carter, Ray Allen, Tamika Catchings, Tim Duncan, Grant Hill and Dominique Wilkins) and negotiated more than a billion dollars in contracts for his clients.
He represented 17 former Tar Heels in their professional careers, including Carter; Final Four Most Outstanding Players Joel Berry II, Wayne Ellington and Sean May; All-Americas Raymond Felton, Tyler Hansbrough, John Henson, Justin Jackson and Luke Maye; and top-10 first-round draft picks Marvin Williams and Brandan Wright.
A native of High Point, N.C., Tanner was a Morehead-Cain Scholar at UNC and attended law school at the University of Chicago. He sits on Carolina’s Board of Directors in the College of Arts and Sciences and previously served on the Board for the Morehead-Cain Scholarship Fund.
The complete list of Tar Heels Tanner has represented during their professional careers include Berry, Leaky Black, Nate Britt, Carter, Ellington, Felton, Hansbrough, Henson, Isaiah Hicks, Jackson, May, Maye, James Michael McAdoo, Leslie McDonald, Deon Thompson, Williams and Wright.
Tanner began his legal career as a corporate attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom before becoming a partner at Williams & Connolly LLP. He founded Tandem Sports + Entertainment in 2013. In 2020, Tandem merged with You First Sports, a global agency based in Madrid, Spain, which was later acquired by Gersh Sports. The combined sports and entertainment agency has a presence in 15 countries, and a wide range of expertise offering Tanner and Tandem a broad network of globally-sourced talent, resources and relationships.
Sports Illustrated recognized Tanner twice as one of the “101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports.” He was named to the Washington Business Journal’s list of Minority Business Leaders and was recognized on Washingtonian’s list of “Top Lawyers” for media and sports law. He has been invited to speak to the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, the NCAA Commission on College Basketball, and the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.
Tanner helps manage the construction of the roster, negotiate contracts, identify and hire new scouting and analytics staff and spearhead player development programs.
A 1990 Carolina graduate, Tanner represented 40 first-round NBA Draft picks, including 12 top-five selections, and six inductees in the Naismith Hall of Fame (UNC’s Vince Carter, Ray Allen, Tamika Catchings, Tim Duncan, Grant Hill and Dominique Wilkins) and negotiated more than a billion dollars in contracts for his clients.
He represented 17 former Tar Heels in their professional careers, including Carter; Final Four Most Outstanding Players Joel Berry II, Wayne Ellington and Sean May; All-Americas Raymond Felton, Tyler Hansbrough, John Henson, Justin Jackson and Luke Maye; and top-10 first-round draft picks Marvin Williams and Brandan Wright.
A native of High Point, N.C., Tanner was a Morehead-Cain Scholar at UNC and attended law school at the University of Chicago. He sits on Carolina’s Board of Directors in the College of Arts and Sciences and previously served on the Board for the Morehead-Cain Scholarship Fund.
The complete list of Tar Heels Tanner has represented during their professional careers include Berry, Leaky Black, Nate Britt, Carter, Ellington, Felton, Hansbrough, Henson, Isaiah Hicks, Jackson, May, Maye, James Michael McAdoo, Leslie McDonald, Deon Thompson, Williams and Wright.
Tanner began his legal career as a corporate attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom before becoming a partner at Williams & Connolly LLP. He founded Tandem Sports + Entertainment in 2013. In 2020, Tandem merged with You First Sports, a global agency based in Madrid, Spain, which was later acquired by Gersh Sports. The combined sports and entertainment agency has a presence in 15 countries, and a wide range of expertise offering Tanner and Tandem a broad network of globally-sourced talent, resources and relationships.
Sports Illustrated recognized Tanner twice as one of the “101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports.” He was named to the Washington Business Journal’s list of Minority Business Leaders and was recognized on Washingtonian’s list of “Top Lawyers” for media and sports law. He has been invited to speak to the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, the NCAA Commission on College Basketball, and the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.
Henri Veesaar Intro Press Conference
Wednesday, September 10
Kyan Evans Intro Press Conference
Wednesday, September 10
MBB: Henri Veesaar Intro Press Conference
Wednesday, September 10
MBB: Kyan Evans Intro Press Conference
Wednesday, September 10
