North Carolina is hiring longtime NBA agent Jim Tanner as its general manager for men’s basketball, less than one month after coach Hubert Davis said that the “old model for Carolina basketball just doesn’t work.”
Tanner is the president and founder of Tandem Sports & Entertainment, an agency with a long list of clients in the NBA, WNBA and in the broadcasting space. He is a North Carolina native who graduated from UNC in 1990 before attending law school at the University of Chicago. Tanner founded Tandem Sports & Entertainment in 2013, going on to represent more than 70 NBA players — including 17 former UNC players.
“Both of my kids and I went to Carolina and we owe so much as a family to this university,” Tanner said in a statement Tuesday. “This is such an exciting opportunity and I couldn’t be more thrilled. The landscape of college basketball has changed dramatically in a short period of time with NIL, collectives and the transfer portal. It’s a highly-competitive and constantly-evolving environment. I look forward to using my 28 years of experience recruiting and representing players to help position UNC as strategic, adaptive and innovative in scouting and attracting top domestic and international talent while staying true to the principles and values that have defined Carolina Basketball over the years.”
On Davis’ radio show earlier this month, the fourth-year head coach announced that the program was planning to hire a general manager and add more support staff amid a disappointing season in Chapel Hill.
“The old model for Carolina basketball just doesn’t work,” he said at the time. “It’s not sustainable. It has to build out because there’s so many things in play with NIL, the transfer portal, agents, international players.”
This is the first GM that UNC has hired for men’s basketball; the school recently hired former NFL executive Michael Lombardi as GM for its football program.
According to the school, Tanner will help with roster construction and contract negotiations, while also looking to expand the scouting, analytics and player development operations within the program.
“I am excited and happy to have Jim join our staff and the UNC family,” Davis said in Tuesday’s announcement. “Jim’s experience and knowledge is needed in helping us navigate contracts, the transfer portal and the advancement of this program. His resumé speaks for itself and his commitment to this university and community make him a great addition to the Carolina men’s basketball program.”
North Carolina beat Florida State on Monday night to improve to 18-11 overall, 11-6 in the ACC. But the Tar Heels find themselves squarely on the bubble heading down the stretch, putting them at risk to miss the NCAA tournament for the second time in three seasons. Davis has found himself under some pressure this season, although the addition of Tanner should help rebuild the roster for what could be a make-or-break campaign.
2024 ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis will move on after this season, while freshman Ian Jackson and Drake Powell are one-and-done candidates and could leave early for the NBA draft. The Tar Heels struggled in the transfer portal last spring, missing on several big man targets before landing Vanderbilt transfer Ven-Allen Lubin, who has only recently shown consistency down low.
