Full Name
Alex Saratsis
Job Title
Co-Managing Director, Basketball
Company
Octagon
Speaker Bio
Alex Saratsis was named Co-Managing Director of Octagon Basketball in December, 2020. In the role, Saratsis helps oversee the global marketing and talent management agency’s industry-leading basketball division, which represents more than 40 of the most exciting players in the game, including two-time league MVP and NBA Champion Giannis Antetokounmpo, as well as two-time league MVP and four-time NBA Champion Stephen Curry.
Alongside fellow Co-Managing Director Jeff Austin, the pair oversees more than $2 Billion in active player contracts and endorsement deals for Octagon Basketball clients.
With two-decades of experience in the basketball marketplace both domestically and abroad, Saratsis is also responsible for management of Octagon Basketball’s international presence and building key professional relationships for the agency around the world. Amid an ongoing globalization of the NBA, Saratsis has established and solidified the framework for Octagon’s international basketball operations, by recruiting elite clients from around the world, and skillfully negotiating millions in playing contracts and endorsement deals for the agency’s client roster.
Earlier this year, alongside NBA legend Luol Deng, Saratsis led the creation and launch of Octagon54, a first-of-its-kind venture dedicated to cultivating basketball talent of African heritage and facilitating the transition of African athletes into the NBA.
In addition to co-management of the division, Saratsis also directly represents a collection of Octagon’s leading clients. Headlined by Antetokounmpo, Saratsis’ client portfolio features a comprehensive list of NBA stars, including Miami Heat C Bam Adebayo.
Most recently, in October of 2023, Saratsis secured a three-year, $186 million contract extension for Antetokounmpo with the Milwaukee Bucks, marking more than $1 Billion in player contracts negotiated for clients throughout Saratsis’ career.
In 2020 alone, Saratsis successfully negotiated more than $500 million in player contracts, which included the largest contract in NBA history at that time: a five-year, $228 million supermax extension for Antetokounmpo with the Milwaukee Bucks, and a five-year, $163 million max extension for Adebayo with the Miami Heat.
In addition to negotiating playing contracts, Saratsis also directs career strategy, as well as off-court endorsement and media opportunities for a number of Octagon clients and stars across the NBA and international leagues.
In 2022, Saratsis played a key role in the development of “Rise,” the hugely successful live-action film for Disney+ inspired by the true-life story of Antetokounmpo and his family.
In 2017, Saratsis secured a landmark global shoe deal for Antetokounmpo with Nike, making Antetokounmpo the first-ever international basketball player to receive his own signature Nike shoe. The Zoom Freak 1 is the highest-grossing signature shoe launch in Nike Basketball history, and it delivered the fastest sell-through of any product in the history of Nike Basketball. Since that time, Nike has issued multiple releases of the Zoom Freak, as well as a full Zoom Freak collection, which thanks to Saratsis’ strategic marketing and collaborative efforts with Nike has helped drive more than $500 million in lifetime sales.
In addition to partnerships with Nike, Saratsis has built signature endorsement deals for his clients with brands, including Google, Meta, Degree, JBL, T-Mobile, Breitling, and many others.
Known for his initiation and creativity, Saratsis has worked tirelessly over the past 10 years to also develop strategic partnerships across North America, Europe, Asia, and South America that have advanced Octagon Basketball’s impact and footprint worldwide, successfully reaching and influencing the top levels of the industry. Fluent in Spanish, Italian, Greek, and English, Saratsis is successful in dealing in international business and creating lasting relationships with clients of many nationalities.
Prior to joining Octagon in 2009, Saratsis managed international operations for CSMG. He began his career as a player representative at Edge Sports International.
A graduate of Northwestern University, Saratsis also currently serves as an adjunct professor for the school’s Sports Administration program.
Saratsis lives and works in Chicago, Illinois.
Alongside fellow Co-Managing Director Jeff Austin, the pair oversees more than $2 Billion in active player contracts and endorsement deals for Octagon Basketball clients.
With two-decades of experience in the basketball marketplace both domestically and abroad, Saratsis is also responsible for management of Octagon Basketball’s international presence and building key professional relationships for the agency around the world. Amid an ongoing globalization of the NBA, Saratsis has established and solidified the framework for Octagon’s international basketball operations, by recruiting elite clients from around the world, and skillfully negotiating millions in playing contracts and endorsement deals for the agency’s client roster.
Earlier this year, alongside NBA legend Luol Deng, Saratsis led the creation and launch of Octagon54, a first-of-its-kind venture dedicated to cultivating basketball talent of African heritage and facilitating the transition of African athletes into the NBA.
In addition to co-management of the division, Saratsis also directly represents a collection of Octagon’s leading clients. Headlined by Antetokounmpo, Saratsis’ client portfolio features a comprehensive list of NBA stars, including Miami Heat C Bam Adebayo.
Most recently, in October of 2023, Saratsis secured a three-year, $186 million contract extension for Antetokounmpo with the Milwaukee Bucks, marking more than $1 Billion in player contracts negotiated for clients throughout Saratsis’ career.
In 2020 alone, Saratsis successfully negotiated more than $500 million in player contracts, which included the largest contract in NBA history at that time: a five-year, $228 million supermax extension for Antetokounmpo with the Milwaukee Bucks, and a five-year, $163 million max extension for Adebayo with the Miami Heat.
In addition to negotiating playing contracts, Saratsis also directs career strategy, as well as off-court endorsement and media opportunities for a number of Octagon clients and stars across the NBA and international leagues.
In 2022, Saratsis played a key role in the development of “Rise,” the hugely successful live-action film for Disney+ inspired by the true-life story of Antetokounmpo and his family.
In 2017, Saratsis secured a landmark global shoe deal for Antetokounmpo with Nike, making Antetokounmpo the first-ever international basketball player to receive his own signature Nike shoe. The Zoom Freak 1 is the highest-grossing signature shoe launch in Nike Basketball history, and it delivered the fastest sell-through of any product in the history of Nike Basketball. Since that time, Nike has issued multiple releases of the Zoom Freak, as well as a full Zoom Freak collection, which thanks to Saratsis’ strategic marketing and collaborative efforts with Nike has helped drive more than $500 million in lifetime sales.
In addition to partnerships with Nike, Saratsis has built signature endorsement deals for his clients with brands, including Google, Meta, Degree, JBL, T-Mobile, Breitling, and many others.
Known for his initiation and creativity, Saratsis has worked tirelessly over the past 10 years to also develop strategic partnerships across North America, Europe, Asia, and South America that have advanced Octagon Basketball’s impact and footprint worldwide, successfully reaching and influencing the top levels of the industry. Fluent in Spanish, Italian, Greek, and English, Saratsis is successful in dealing in international business and creating lasting relationships with clients of many nationalities.
Prior to joining Octagon in 2009, Saratsis managed international operations for CSMG. He began his career as a player representative at Edge Sports International.
A graduate of Northwestern University, Saratsis also currently serves as an adjunct professor for the school’s Sports Administration program.
Saratsis lives and works in Chicago, Illinois.
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