This week, The Argus sat down with Xander Elfaizy ’27, who, at 20 years old, is the youngest sports agent in history.
Having recently passed the annual International Basketball Federation (FIBA) licensing test, he dethroned Shyra Johnson, who passed the National Basketball Players Association Agent Certification Exam in 2022 at the age of 21. Elfaizy discussed his entry into the world of sports representation, the process of achieving this certification, and his predictions for the future of the industry.
In addition to holding this title, Elfaizy is a double major in psychology and art history, volunteers with the nonprofit Forklift Danceworks, and manages the student band Wurley.
Elfaizy’s journey into the world of basketball began not with courtside seats or contracts, but with his family’s move between countries.
“I got into basketball when I moved from New York to Egypt,” Elfaizy said. “In New York, I was in an international school with non-American parents, so I was really into football—I guess what you guys would call soccer…But in Egypt, all of a sudden, I was surrounded by Americans who thought basketball was everything.”
Elfaizy’s time in Cairo immersed him in a distinctly American athletic obsession.
“It was this super American environment in the middle of Cairo,” Elfaizy said. “Steve Kerr [Golden State Warriors head coach] went to my school. It just had this really international culture around sports.”
Elfaizy moved to Paris at 10 years old and started playing competitive basketball, crossing paths with many players who have since started playing professionally.
“So many players I grew up with are going to the NBA now,” Elfaizy said. “I’ve played against, encountered, or known so many of them personally. I met Victor Wembanyama [French professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs] when I was in the 11th grade. I realized I wanted to be as close to the court as possible, [to] still somehow influence the game. Watching Jerry Maguire, I was like, ‘Wow, that’s what I want to do.’ Most agents start in their late twenties or even later. When I realized I wanted to do this as a teenager, I knew I had a 15-year head start and I wanted to capitalize on that.”
The certification process itself is a significant feat, as it demands an understanding of complex legalities.
“It’s basically the bar exam for sports,” Elfaizy said. “There’s this massive book full of sports law, all technical language.”
Elfaizy, treating this certification as an academic pursuit, was able to study for the test as an individual tutorial for credit at the University.
“I realized I could do it as a course tutorial and get credit,” Elfaizy said. “It gave me the time and the excuse to take it seriously…[nobody’s] going to care if I was the youngest unless I can market it well to players. In 10 years, no one’s going to remember unless I prove it with real results.”
Despite the older, more experienced competition, Elfaizy thinks his age is an asset.
“It’s a cutthroat industry; predator eats prey,” he said. “But this puts me in a better position to learn. I just have more time to fail and grow than everyone else does.”
Elfaizy’s understanding of global basketball trends and his bicultural background have positioned him well to predict the future directions of basketball.
“The NBA hasn’t had an American MVP since I was in middle school,” Elfaizy said. “French basketball is exploding. I’ve lived in both the U.S. and France, so I get both cultures. The job of an agent is old and outdated. Players are getting smarter—they’re firing agents who don’t offer enough. The services will have to evolve, and I want to be part of that change. Being an agent isn’t just about contracts. It’s about supporting players as people, and I think I can do that in a way older agents maybe can’t.”
Elfaizy’s philosophy shows a holistic approach to player management. At 20 years old, Elfaizy steps into a field where the average age of established agents stands in the mid-40s, a significant gap he aims to bridge with fresh perspective and energy.
It’s clear, talking to him, that this isn’t fleeting youthful ambition. Elfaizy has been observing the game and the world of endorsements ever since he realized his basketball career wouldn’t follow the trajectory of the players he now wants to represent.
Elfaizy credits his upbringing as a strategic advantage, a potential differentiator in his branding. While managing a college band like the University’s own Wurley might involve similar organizational skills, the stakes in professional sports are clearly higher.
He recognizes the ongoing transformations within the sport, the influence of international athletes, and the increasing independence of the players themselves. Players might not want an agent who is just their contract negotiator. Instead, they might want an advisor who understands them as an individual, he argued.
“We need to support players as people,” Elfaizy said.
Correction: The print version of the article incorrectly referred to Elfaizy as a certified National Basketball Association (NBA) agent. He passed an exam to become certified as an International Basketball Federation (FIBA) agent.
Kiran Eastman can be reached at kbleakneyeas@wesleyan.edu.
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