Jeff Austin & Phil de Picciotto

Image Credit: Courtesy of Subject (2)

As Octagon’s founder, de Picciotto oversees a client portfolio of more than 1,000 of the most high-profile athletes and broadcasters and was the driving force behind removing tobacco sponsorship from pro tennis. He also oversaw Amazon’s groundbreaking Thursday Night Football streaming package. Former tennis player Austin co-heads a basketball division that represents more than 40 top players, including MVPs and NBA champs Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

MOST THRILLING SPORTS VICTORY

AUSTIN ”The Warriors’ 2022 NBA title win over the Celtics.”

Blair Berk & Andrew Brettler

Image Credit: Courtesy of Subject (2)

When Ohtani learned his interpreter stole $17 million from him to support a gambling habit, the Dodgers superstar turned to Berk and Brettler, whose boutique has become a go-to for complicated matters ranging from criminal defense to defamation. The duo worked closely with a federal prosecutor to ensure that Ohtani’s rights, as a victim of a massive theft, were protected. The interpreter was sentenced to nearly five years in prison.

CHILDHOOD IDOL

BERK ”Michael Jordan. I was a junior in Chapel Hill and would go to his practices at Carmichael Auditorium.”

Berk Brettler represented Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani against former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara (left).

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Chris Cabott

Image Credit: Courtesy of Subject

As CEO, he’s negotiated more than $1 billion in contracts, including for Mahomes and Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. He’s also helped clients close deals with Nike, Adidas, Amazon, Netflix and Visa, to name a few, and enabled some to become equity holders in Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer and National Women’s Soccer League franchises.

MOST THRILLING SPORTS VICTORY “I’ve had clients win five consecutive Super Bowls. You’re so happy for your clients on the winning team and simultaneously heartbroken for your clients on the losing team.”

Christopher R. Chase & Marcie Cleary

Image Credit: Courtesy of Subject (2)

Chase helped guide the International Olympic Committee’s intellectual property strategy for the 2021 Tokyo Games, 2024 Paris Games and for the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Games. Before joining the Lakers as head coach in 2024, JJ Redick relied on Cleary to structure his ThreeFourTwo Productions’ co-production deal with SpringHill Entertainment to co-host the podcast Mind the Game with LeBron James.

MOST AGONIZING SPORTS DEFEAT

CHASE ”As a proud Tar Heel alum, I’m still not over Carolina’s loss to Villanova in the 2016 NCAA Men’s finals!”

Ethan Cohan

Image Credit: Courtesy of Subject

By repping such leagues as the MLS and NFL and production companies like the PGA Tour-backed Pro Shop Studios and sports documentary powerhouse Box to Box Films, Cohan brings viewers inside the business of being a pro athlete. From Netflix’s Full Swing and Quarterback docuseries to Apple TV+’s Onside about the MLS and Prime’s Faceoff on hockey, fans have Cohan to thank.

MOVIE THAT GETS IT RIGHT “Rocky is close enough — the best sports movie of all time.”

Matt Dysart, Eric Perlmutter-Gumbiner & Jesse Saivar

Image Credit: Courtesy of Subject (3)

Talk about teamwork: Saivar serves as counsel to the media company Barstool Sports, and he and Perlmutter-Gumbiner assisted founder Dave Portnoy’s purchase of the company back from Penn Entertainment for exactly $1. Perlmutter-Gumbiner also hit a home run for the trio’s client Jomboy Media with a new MLB partnership to develop original sports IP. Dysart is counsel to the news organization Front Office Sports, leading rodeo programmer Teton Ridge and Park Stories Productions for an HBO docuseries on the World Cup next year.

MOVIE OR TV SHOW THAT GETS IT RIGHT

SAIVAR ”Friday Night Lights is one of the greatest TV series. This is fact, not opinion.”

Matthew Eisler & Michael Kuh

Image Credit: Courtesy of Subject (2)

Over the past few years, there has hardly been a major sports deal in which Hogan Lovells hasn’t been involved. Together, Eisler and Kuh represented the Walton-Penner Family in their $4.65 billion purchase of the NFL’s Denver Broncos — the second-highest price ever paid for a pro team. The highest, in 2023, was when Eisler advised Josh Harris’ consortium to buy the NFL’s Washington Commanders for $6.05 billion. Kuh guided Ares Management in its $1.725 billion purchase of MLB’s Baltimore Orioles and advised NBA star Russell Westbrook in acquiring a minority stake in Leeds United.

MOST AGONIZING SPORTS DEFEAT

EISLER “Super Bowl XLVIII, Broncos vs. Seahawks, 2014. Less a game, more a legal case for emotional damages.” [Seahawks won 43-8.]

Eric Geffner & Irwin Raij

Image Credit: Courtesy of Subject (2)

Geffner broke the record for the largest deal in women’s sports history by representing the NWSL’s Angel City FC, the first majority female-owned and -managed pro soccer team, led by Natalie Portman, in a $250 million transaction with Willow Bay and Bob Iger to become the new controlling owners. Raij aided Monumental Sports & Entertainment, owners of various Washington teams, as well as Capital One Arena, in a strategic partnership for D.C. to invest $515 million in a reimagined stadium to revitalize downtown.

MOVIE OR TV SHOW THAT GETS IT RIGHT

RAIJ ”Anxious to see F1, but I watch The Sandlot with my kids all the time.”

David Greenspan, Jeffrey Kessler & Cardelle Spangler

Image Credit: Courtesy of Subject (3)

Kessler and Greenspan’s work securing a $2.75 billion settlement for college athletes, approved in June, will change the playing field. One of the largest antitrust cases in history, it allows players to not only share in revenue generated by their schools but also receive name, image and likeness compensation, with athletes standing to earn $20 billion over the next decade. Greenspan repped MLB Players Inc. against online sports books DraftKings and FanDuel, asserting they used player likenesses without permission. Spangler worked to achieve equal pay for stars like Morgan and Megan Rapinoe as part of a landmark class action lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation; the women now receive equal pay with the men’s team, including for the World Cups.

CHILDHOOD IDOL

SPANGLER ”Nadia Comaneci. Her perfect execution was inspiring.”

Winston and Strawn clients Alex Morgan (left) and Megan Rapinoe.

Brad Smith/USSF/Getty Images

Mike Hill, Andrew Nightingale, John Playforth & Peter Zern

Image Credit: Courtesy of Subject (4)

There are billions of reasons why leagues turn to these attorneys. Hill scored a $2 billion grand slam for the U.S. Tennis Association, making ESPN exclusive rights holder of the U.S. Open through 2037. He also advised the NCAA on its $900 million deal giving ESPN global rights to 40 championships. Nightingale and Zern advised Justin Ishbia on a framework for obtaining a future controlling interest in the MLB’s Chicago White Sox. Separately, Zern and Nightingale assisted the NFL in developing new rules allowing a select group of private equity firms to purchase up to 10 percent of a team’s equity. Playforth’s work helped overturn a $4.7 billion verdict against the NFL in an antitrust suit brought by “Sunday Ticket” subscribers.

CHILDHOOD IDOL

NIGHTINGALE “Don Mattingly, the reason to watch the Yankees during some dark years.”

Jason Karlov

Image Credit: Courtesy of Subject

Karlov ironed out the deal for Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show this year and Rihanna’s last year, which revealed her second pregnancy with A$AP Rocky. Karlov also oversees music rights for more than 60 clubs in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS.

MOST THRILLING SPORTS VICTORY “Kerri Strug. Olympic moments are hard to beat.”

Barnes and Thornburg cleared music rights for Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s 2025 Super Bowl halftime show.

Kara Durrette/Getty Images

Arash Khalili & Brian Socolow

Image Credit: Courtesy of Subject (2)

Representing the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee in Salt Lake City’s successful bid to host the 2034 Winter Games, Khalili also helped Dwyane Wade purchase an ownership stake in the NBA’s Utah Jazz and WNBA’s Chicago Sky, and he reps eSports gamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, too. Socolow navigated Simmons Bank’s naming rights for Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium and Frost Bank’s partnership with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs and acts as trusted adviser to Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, pro golfers Rickie Fowler and Rose Zhang and Rob McElhenney’s More Better Industries, which owns Wrexham AFC with Ryan Reynolds.

MOST THRILLING SPORTS VICTORY

KHALILI “Joe Montana’s game-winning touchdown pass in Super Bowl XXIII against the Cincinnati Bengals.” [Niners won 20-16.]

Adam Klein & Daniel Render

Image Credit: Courtesy of Subject (2)

From the Chicago Bulls and White Sox to the Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia Phillies, there is hardly a team that Klein hasn’t assisted in some manner. In fact, Klein counsels a wide range of MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS clubs, stadiums and investors on matters that include broadcast and sponsorship deals. Render is known industry-wide as an expert in acquisitions and sales, recently representing the Browns in a 20-year partnership with Huntington Bank, which includes naming rights to Huntington Bank Field. He also aided Blue Owl Capital Inc. in the acquisition of a majority stake in the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.

MOVIE OR TV SHOW THAT GETS IT RIGHT

KLEIN “Hoosiers.”

Jason Krochak & Jon Oram

Image Credit: Courtesy of Subject (2)

Show Krochak the money! Krochak has worked on the biggest recent sports deals, from repping the Patrick D. Bowlen Trust in the $4.65 billion sale of the Broncos, to advising a limited partner in the Harris group’s $6 billion purchase of the Commanders. Oram guided Tom Brady and Tom Wagner on their investment in the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. Together, they repped MLS in its agreements with Lionel Messi to play for Inter Miami FC.

MOVIE OR TV SHOW THAT GETS IT RIGHT

ORAM ”There is nothing wrong about Rudy.”

Mitchell Ostrove

Image Credit: Courtesy of Subject

Ostrove represents the L.A. Lakers and the Governor of the Los Angeles Lakers Jeanie Buss for off-court entertainment deals, having negotiated her and Linda Rambis’ exec producer contracts for Netflix’s Running Point, just renewed for season two. Also a licensed NFL agent for top college athletes, he ensures they receive the best deals within a rapidly evolving NIL space; he also includes NASCAR among his clients.

RIDE-OR-DIE TEAM “The Lakers, obviously!”

Frank Saviano, Adam Sullins & Chris Yates

Image Credit: Courtesy of Subject (3)

Saviano advised Mark Cuban on the sale of his controlling interest in the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and ironed out a key deal for Redbird Capital and the NFL to form EverPass Media, a platform that distributes live sports to commercial businesses. Sullins represented Fubo in its merger with Disney’s Hulu With Live TV to create a sports-first streaming multichannel video service that is second only to YouTube in scale. Yates, meanwhile, who specializes in sports antitrust litigation, is defending NASCAR against a monopolization case filed by two racing teams, including one owned by Michael Jordan — a suit that is poised to have a major impact on stock car racing (it’s set to go to trial in December).

RIDE-OR-DIE TEAM

YATES ”Arsenal, the pride of North London. My dad was from England.”

This story appeared in the July 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.