Joe Dumars is re-entering the NBA universe, but in a different role than he's accustomed to.
Dumars, a Hall of Fame player whose 13-year run as Detroit Pistons president ended in 2014, has been hired to head up the basketball division at Independent Sports & Entertainment (ISE), the agency announced Tuesday.
"Joe's arrival at ISE marks the tone for the future of our basketball practice and business," ISE president and CEO Hank Ratner said in a statement. "He's experienced on both sides of the negotiating table, has served as a role model and mentor for players at all levels and understands the preparation and dedication required to excel as a player and then make a successful post-career transition."
ISE, known as Relativity Sports before being overhauled and rebranded just over a year ago, represents the likes of Chandler Parsons, Courtney Lee, Rodney Hood, Nikola Mirotic, and Juan Hernangomez. The company lost perhaps its highest-profile NBA client when it fired DeMarcus Cousins' agent, Dan Fegan, in March. (Fegan and Ratner have been embroiled in a messy legal dispute ever since.)
"I look forward to beginning this new chapter in my career with ISE," said Dumars. "It has always been an honor and immense pleasure to work closely with players to help guide them in all stages of their careers and this position will allow me to step into this role in a longer term and much more impactful and meaningful way.
"I know that Ron Burkle and Hank Ratner are committed to doing things first class and together we will continue to build a strong culture at ISE aligned around providing the very best for our clients."
