Former Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars has joined sports agency Independent Sports & Entertainment, according to a press release. ISE, which went through an acrimonious split with president of basketball Dan Fegan earlier this year, has hired Dumars to fill Fegan’s old position.
“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. A decorated NBA player and front office executive with relationships across the globe and an impeccable reputation as a leader and man of great integrity, we are proud to have Joe join ISE.”
Dumars, who stepped down from his role in Detroit in 2014, helped lead the Pistons to a 595–536 (.527) regular-season record, 73 postseason wins, and an NBA championship in 2004, and was named Executive of the Year in 2003.
In recent years, Dumars has been linked most frequently to the Pelicans’ front office, and was also a candidate for the Hawks when they sought a new GM this spring. However, his new role will be for a player agency rather than for an NBA franchise. In a statement of his own, Dumars suggested that he’s looking forward to working with NBA players in a “much more impactful and meaningful way.”
As for Fegan, ISE’s former president of basketball filed a $30MM lawsuit against Ratner earlier this summer for fraud and contractual interference, alleging that Ratner and ISE “orchestrated a Machiavellian conspiracy, to steal [Fegan’s] clients and destroy his reputation.” ISE responded with a statement calling Fegan’s lawsuit a “publicity stunt.” The agency previously alleged that Fegan was operating a side business while working for ISE.