Jim Tanner

Biography

Jim Tanner, the Founder and President of Tandem Sports + Entertainment who has represented more than 70 NBA players over a 28-year career, was named Executive Director and General Manager of the University of North Carolina men's basketball team in February 2025. Tanner helps manage the construction of the roster, negotiate contracts, identify and hire new scouting and analytics staff and spearhead player development programs. A 1990 Carolina graduate, Tanner represented 40 first-round NBA Draft picks, including 12 top-five selections, and six inductees in the Naismith Hall of Fame (UNC's Vince Carter, Ray Allen, Tamika Catchings, Tim Duncan, Grant Hill and Dominique Wilkins) and negotiated more than a billion dollars in contracts for his clients. He represented 17 former Tar Heels in their professional careers, including Carter; Final Four Most Outstanding Players Joel Berry II, Wayne Ellington and Sean May; All-Americas Raymond Felton, Tyler Hansbrough, John Henson, Justin Jackson and Luke Maye; and top-10 first-round draft picks Marvin Williams and Brandan Wright. A native of High Point, N.C., Tanner was a Morehead-Cain Scholar at UNC and attended law school at the University of Chicago. He sits on Carolina's Board of Directors in the College of Arts and Sciences and previously served on the Board for the Morehead-Cain Scholarship Fund. Tanner began his legal career as a corporate attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom before becoming a partner at Williams & Conn