Steve A. Kauffman is an American professional sports agent who currently represents many prominent

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA) and collegiate coaches.

Background and education

Kauffman holds a Bachelor's degree in accounting from

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

and a Juris Doctor from the

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and olde ...

Early career

Kauffman began working in the sports industry in the 1970s, at the age of 27, providing accounting and legal services for such clients as

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

and basketball Hall of Famers

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

and

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on TNT. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons in the Natio ...

. He subsequently founded KSMG where he represented a number of high-profile professional athletes such as Dominique Wilkins and

Rony Seikaly Rony is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Ronielson da Silva Barbosa, Brazilian footballer better known as Rony *Rony Ahonen (born 1987), Finnish ice hockey defenceman *Rony Bakale (born 1987), Olympic swimmer from the Republ ...

. Kauffman negotiated many notable contracts, including the record-setting

Jon Koncak Jon Francis Koncak (born May 17, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. A 7'0" center from Southern Methodist University (SMU), Koncak was selected with the fifth pick in the 1985 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks. Koncak spent t ...

$13.2 million, six-year deal, making the journeyman center the 5th highest paid basketball player at that time. Kauffman invented the 'player opt out' and 'love of the game' clauses, both common in modern professional athlete contracts. Kauffman's first

National Football League (NFL) The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

client was

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

first-round Draft pick Brian Urlacher, whom Kauffman represented for eight years. Kauffman also served as the Commissioner of the

Eastern Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

, which expanded under his leadership and became known as the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). The CBA was the world's first professional basketball league.

Current work

Kauffman's current NBA head coaching clients include

Michael Malone Michael, Mick or Mike Malone may refer to: Sports * Michael Malone (basketball) (born 1971), American basketball coach * Mick Malone (cricketer) (born 1950), Australian former cricketer * Mick Malone (hurler) (born 1950), Irish retired hurler Oth ...

, Jeff Hornacek,

Lionel Hollins Lionel Eugene Hollins (born October 19, 1953) is an American professional basketball coach and former player currently serving as an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Portland ...

Steve Clifford Steven Gerald Clifford (born September 17, 1961) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has previously served as the head coach of the Orlando Magic. Early ...

, and Monty Williams. He also represents numerous assistant coaches. Front office clients include Chris Wallace, Ryan McDonough, John Hammond,

Pete D'Alessandro Pete D’Alessandro (born June 17, 1968) is an American businessman, currently the assistant general manager of the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association. Prior to joining the Magic, D’Alessandro was the general manager for the Sa ...

, Jeff Bower and Donnie Walsh. Other notable past and present clients include Paul Westphal,

Eric Snow Eric Snow (born April 5, 1973) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. He played the point guard position in the National Basketball Association from 1995 to 2008 and appeared in three NBA Finals. Known for his defense, ...

, Ron Darling, and Dominique Wilkins. College basketball coaching clients include

Dave Pilipovich David Gabe Pilipovich (born January 28, 1964) is an American basketball coach. Pilipovich is an assistant coach at The University of New Mexico He played college basketball at Thiel and has been a basketball coach since 1988. After five years a ...

, Ed DeChellis, Mark Price, and Brian Fish.

Personal life

A Philadelphia native, Kauffman relocated to Malibu, California, in 1995. Kauffman and his wife, Jan, have five children (Matt, Jake, Casson, Jill and Lisa), a grandson (Boden), as well as two black standard poodles (Chanel and London).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kauffman, Steve A. American sports agents Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Continental Basketball Association commissioners University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni