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FIBA Approves Italian Basketball Federation’s Regulations Governing Player Agents

In April, FIBA approved the Italian Basketball Federation’s (FIP) Regulations Governing Player Agents.  The Regulations are embedded at the bottom of this post and intend to regulate agents who represent all basketball players affiliated with FIP.

In order for an agent to identify himself as an Authorized FIP Agent, he must be registered with FIP and/or FIBA.  The NFLPA requires all applicants to have a post-graduate degree.  FIP only asks that the agent has a high school (or equivalent) diploma.  Applicants must also pass an exam to become a licensed FIP agent.

Agents who place their players outside of the United States are known to be paid directly by the teams.  However, Article 8(5) states that if the agent’s compensation is not explicitly determined by the parties, the compensation will be 5% of the athlete’s gross compensation.  Thus, athletes need to be careful to include a paragraph regarding Agent Fees their contracts with agents; especially if there is an oral understanding that the agent will be paid directly by the teams instead of by the player.  Article 8(5) could effectively allow an agent to double dip, earning a Fee from the signing team and the player who signs with the club, depending on the language of the representation agreement and the contract that the player signs with the club.


By Darren Heitner

Darren Heitner created Sports Agent Blog as a New Year's Resolution on December 31, 2005. Originally titled, "I Want To Be A Sports Agent," the website was founded with the intention of causing Heitner to learn more about the profession that he wanted to join, meet reputable individuals in the space and force himself to stay on top of the latest news and trends.

Heitner now runs Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., which is a law firm with many practice areas, including sports law and contract law. Heitner has represented numerous athletes and sports agents as legal counsel. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington from 2011-2014, where he created and taught a course titled, Sport Agency Management, which included subjects ranging from NCAA regulations to athlete agent certification and the rules governing the profession. Heitner serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where he teaches a Sports Law class that includes case law surrounding athlete agents and the NCAA rules.

2 replies on “FIBA Approves Italian Basketball Federation’s Regulations Governing Player Agents”

 Poorly written article. Perhaps you should link to the Italian regulations and better explain what the crux of the regulations are that you are trying to convey in this post?

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