Basketball Agent Michael Wearne Closes 650,000 AUD in Contracts in a 12-Month Period

Professional basketball agent Michael Wearne has achieved a career milestone of signing 650,000 AUD in contracts over a 12-month period. Wearne is president of basketball partnerships at international sports agency Pro Basket Consulting.

Wearne has been into basketball for virtually his entire life, picking up the sport at age four. Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, Wearne represented the state of Victoria in the under-18 national basketball championships, eventually winning the national title. As part of the under-19 team, Wearne represented Australia, playing against various international teams, including the US. According to Wearne, his experience in youth basketball helped him build a wide network of connections in the basketball world.

Wearne eventually got recruited by Eastern Washington University, allowing him to play Division 1 collegiate basketball in the US. However, in his first year on the team, he suffered a serious injury and recovered slowly. He transferred to the College of Saint Rose in New York, where he played Division 2 basketball until he graduated with his bachelor’s degree in communications and public relations, minor in business marketing.

After the COVID pandemic hit, Wearne returned to Australia and started working in recruitment for an IT firm. He says that, after a few months, he realized that he was doing the right job, but he was in the wrong field. This was when he decided to revisit his passion for basketball and become a sports agent. He joined Pro Basket Consulting, an agency founded by a former teammate’s father, where he became president of basketball partnerships, thanks to his extensive experience in the sport.

According to Wearne, he was able to bring in 60,000 AUD in contracts in his first year, but, by his third year, he was able to grow it by more than 10 times to 650,000 AUD. Pro Basket Consulting has around 25 players playing in various professional basketball leagues around the world, including in Europe, Asia, and Australia. He also works in developing women’s basketball, with a mission to increase their pay to narrow the gap with the men. He recently signed his first female client to a contract that rivals even his top male clients. From an asking price of around 90,000 AUD, Wearne was able to negotiate a contract of 120,000 AUD.

Wearne also represents people outside of basketball as CEO of Beyond Management International. His clients include artist Travis Bryar, who creates photorealistic drawings of NBA players. He met Bryar at around the time he decided to become a sports agent, and they were drawn to each other by their love of basketball. Seeing Bryar’s talent, Wearne decided to represent him, and, soon after, was able to land him an art deal with a major sports memorabilia company. Bryar and his art was also featured on the social media of a popular sports program. Wearne and Bryar are working together to release a series of artwork signed by the players featured in the drawings. As well as his partnership with Bryar, Wearne is working towards touring celebrities, athletes, artists and other professionals into and around Australia.

Travis Bryar and Michael Wearne, Melbourne exhibition.

“I think deciding to become a sports agent was both the smartest and riskiest decision I’ve made in my life. Thankfully, it seems to be turning out well, three years later. As an agent, I deal with players, coaches, club managers, and parents. Since we work with athletes playing abroad, we also go beyond the basketball side of things and help manage their relocations and adjusting to a new environment. I’m also honored to play my part towards greater gender equality in the sport, and I look to help more wonderful female athletes be more recognized for their contributions,” Wearne says.