3 Takeaways from the ASU NBA Mock Trade Deadline Competition

Getting a job in the NBA

Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law hosted its inaugural NBA Mock Trade Deadline Competition this past weekend with over 125 students from across the country flying in to partake.  The competition gave participating students an opportunity to simulate working in an NBA Front Office while getting guidance from NBA salary cap experts and being judged on their trades and presentations by NBA personnel.

While talking to students and other NBA personnel, 3 things stood out to me. 

1 – Competition for jobs in the NBA is as stiff as ever

A common refrain from those working or who have worked in the NBA is ‘I would have never gotten hired if this was my competition.’  When I was a Video Coordinator for the Portland Trail Blazers and first started interviewing prospective Interns for the team, many of those applying had more video experience than me (who had already worked in the NBA for 5 years).  I was going over resumes and seeing that things that once would have stood out on a resume, now were a given.  You needed to already know how to do the job and not only that, have years of experience on the job… before having the chance at getting a minimum wage internship.

That being said, there are more and more jobs available in the NBA.  Staffs are growing with the expansion of analytics and sports science.  There is a bit of keeping up with the Joneses with NBA franchises and as soon as one team hires someone for something unique, 29 other teams want to hire for a similar position.  Internship opportunities are becoming more abundant with teams adding various positions (it used to just be a Video Intern and Basketball Operations Intern but now you can find an Internship for nearly every Basketball Operations position). 

2 – Working in sports and for a team are two completely different things

I was speaking with one of the event judges, Seth Partnow, and one thing he mentioned that stuck out to me was that students need to realize the different between working in sports and working for a team.

The glamour of working for an NBA team will wear off after around 2-3 days.  It’s a job and and you do job things.  You’ll probably go from somewhere professionally where you were respected, paid a decent wage, and doing actual work to… washing cars, doing laundry, picking people up at the airport, watching pets and kids… all of this in addition to whatever your actual entry-level job, internship in the NBA is. 

At the same time, you will get to work with NBA players, work with an NBA Front Office and Coaching Staff, and generally, be right in the middle of the action. 

There are pros and cons to every job (in life).  The NBA is no different.  It’s not what it’s perceived as but it’s also a dream come true.

There are a lot of ways to make money in sports and being an NBA intern is not one of them.  And even when you get hired to a full-time position, the money is at the top (Head Coaches, Executives), everyone else is generally underpaid.  But if you find satisfaction in being a part of a team, competing together for a championship, etc, that may outweigh the salary. 

3 – There are more opportunities than ever to learn and grow

Kyle Goodier and ASU did an incredible job of bringing students together for a Front Office simulation.  Two things I heard over and over from other NBA execs were, “I would have loved to have been a part of something like this” and “There was nothing like this for me when I was that age.” 

There are more simulations, classes, courses than ever to gain real experience and learn. 

With so many opportunities, again, you have to assess what your end goals are and if these help you achieve them.  Two questions to ask yourself:  Am I learning a useful skill?  Am I meeting people?

You need a skill to work in the NBA.  You can’t just say you’ll do anything.  And secondly, you need to meet someone who can give you an opportunity.  Maybe it’s an opportunity to meet someone else.  Or to get an interview.  Or to learn more.  You never know what / who will lead you to the next thing. 

And don’t just try and network with Executives, front office personnel, and coaches… it’s your classmates who are going to be in those positions next.  Build relationships across the spectrum.  Environments like this allow you to do all of the above – meet executives, meet peers, and learn valuable skills along the way.