Isiah Thomas refers to him as a ” giant “, with a ” super-agent ” George Andrews, one of the pioneers in the world of sports representation, has died at the age of 74.
Unknown to the general public, the native of the Chicago region has nevertheless been in the shadow of some of the biggest names in the basketball world: Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Doc Rivers, Mark Aguirre, Reggie Theus…
« George was a legendary and revolutionary figure in the field, with his approach to player representation and negotiation. He helped us, as players, to be more than just basketball players. Through George, Magic and I purchased a radio station in Denver and real estate in Palm Springs. We had a head start, and that’s because George wasn’t like any other agent. George was like a father to his players », Qualifies Thomas, also born in Chicago.
As the Chicago Tribune recounts, Andrews was a lifelong Bulls fan, but he especially felt sorry for players like Cliff Pondexter, a college star who was drafted by the Chicago franchise in the first round of the 1974 draft (16th overall). Pondexter was in dire need of money early in his career, and the Bulls offered him… a loan if he gave up certain contractual protections.
As the players were not represented at the time, Pondexter agreed. He quickly got injured (missed rookie season) and was let go after three lackluster seasons with the Bulls, who then asked to be reimbursed. Marked by this experience, George Andrews then vowed to be the players’ spokesperson.
Key support for Chicago players
« I would place George in the pantheon of the greats of this sector, among the founding fathers of our agents. We think of David Falk, Arn Tellem, the most important agents. George was their predecessor. He was a very creative thinker, was a relentless negotiator, talked a mile a minute ” recalls Ron Klempner, a leader in the players’ union.
Andrews, who helped usher in the first major era of Chicago athletes in the NBA before the arrival of Michael Jordan, worked in other sports. But basketball was his first love. The agent was also an assistant GM for two years for the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies and, more recently, was an advisor to the Raptors and Chris Finch at the Timberwolves.
« George has been great to me. He is, in a way, the godfather of Chicago agents for the city’s young people. What struck me about George was that he was an agent, but he had a fatherly attitude towards us. This was a big deal for a bunch of naive kids coming from Chicago and entering the cutthroat world of sports and NBA basketball. If you were in Chicago, the chance that you would be represented by or influenced by George was almost 100%. », termine Doc Rivers.
