Three University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School students won the 2025 Tulane Pro Basketball Negotiation Competition (TPBNC).
Greg Drapkin L’26, Brian Ibarguen L’26, and Benjamin Ruvo L’25 placed first out of 44 teams from across the country in the simulated National Basketball Association contract negotiation competition held at Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans.
The trio are all members of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School’s Entertainment and Sports Law Society (ESLS)—dedicated to exploring the legal, business, and ethical issues that arise in the sports and entertainment industries.
February’s event marked the eighth annual TNBC, which uses real-life NBA contracts and upcoming free agent scenarios to give participants the chance to apply their negotiation skills, knowledge of the league, and understanding of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) through several rounds of competition scored by a panel judges, including individuals from the NBA league office, individual team front offices, high-level sports agencies, and NBA newsrooms.
“Competing in the championship round was like a fever dream,” said Ruvo, ESLS Co-President. “Judges who I have grown up to know and follow—absolute titans in the industry—had all their eyes on us and our negotiation. We talked as a team before the round started and just discussed how grateful we were and how we were going to soak it all in and enjoy the moment.”
Some of this year’s judges included former Washington Wizards President of Basketball Operations Tommy Sheppard, Indiana Pacers Assistant General Manager Ted Wu, ESPN NBA Front Office Insider Bobby Marks, Yahoo Sports Senior NBA Reporter Jake Fischer, National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Counsel Kirk Berger, and Todd Ramasar, Founder & CEO of Life Sports Agency.
“Getting to learn from the judges after each round concluded and having the chance to even continue the conversation after we left New Orleans was truly special,” said Drapkin, ESLS Symposium Chair, who was named TNBC’s Most Valuable Negotiator. “And receiving positive feedback from experts like them for the work we put in and our understanding of basketball strategy meant a lot to all of us.”
The Tip-Off
Ruvo first competed in the 2024 TPBNC with Grace Lange L’24 and, at its conclusion, immediately contacted Drapkin, promising a victory the following year. The pair added Ibarguen shortly after, spending months together throughout the fall studying and working to better understand the NBA CBA before entering a similar competition at Arizona State University as a primer for spring, placing sixth out of the 27 teams competing.
“What stands out most to me is how this team built on last year’s success, with Ben Ruvo stepping up as a leader, assembling a talented group, and creating opportunities for more Penn Carey Law students to compete at a high level,” said Deputy Dean for Clinical Education, Practice Professor of Law, and Director of the Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic Praveen Kosuri, the trio’s advisor. “The preparation, teamwork, and focus they showed—whether mastering the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement or thinking creatively about structuring player contracts—were the keys to their success and a testament to their commitment.”
Prior to arriving in New Orleans, each team participated in a virtual round, presenting recommendations for an upcoming Rookie Scale contract extension in a hypothetical negotiation with the Detroit Pistons to a panel of judges.
From there, advancing teams underwent three live rounds of competition in New Orleans, taking on the role of a front-office employee for a given team or an individual player-agent in a given scenario, often mirroring real-life players and situations.
For instance, in the first round, Drapkin, Ibarguen, and Ruvo acted as the Denver Nuggets front office in another Rookie Scale extension negotiation against a team representing third-year Nuggets guard Christian Braun. The second round included leveraging the new NBA CBA’s “second-round pick exception,” as the trio represented a fictitious second-round pick coming out of the 2025 NBA Draft negotiating with the Philadelphia 76ers. And in the third round Drapkin, Ibarguen, and Ruvo represented Memphis Grizzlies Forward Santi Aldama in contract negotiations as he entered restricted free agency.
After three rounds of competition and point tallying, three teams moved on to the final championship round.
The Big Show
Rather than negotiating in front of three to four judges as in previous rounds, the championship included the full panel of over 40 judges in attendance as well as the rest of the competitors. With under an hour to prep, Drapkin, Ibarguen, and Ruvo represented Memphis Grizzlies All-Star Forward Jaren Jackosn Jr., negotiating his veteran extension.
The casual fan’s understanding of salary caps, player contracts, and trade requirements has grown to the point where off-season contract negotiations for high-profile athletes can rival the drama on the court. Sports are entertainment, and a touch of creativity can go a long way in the spirit of boardroom drama.
“During our third-round negotiation, Todd Ramasar, an agent at Life Sports Agency, shared a piece of advice that left a lasting impression: always find leverage, even when it seems like there are no alternatives,” said Ibarguen, ESLS Treasurer. “He suggested that we mention that our ‘client’ would prefer taking a deal overseas with Real Madrid rather than settling for the current offer. This strategic approach resonated as our team prepared for the championship round.”
The trio applied this advice in the final round, standing firm on a desired supermax value for their client on the championship prompt. While a deal wasn’t reached, they strategically decided to resume negotiations “towards the end of the summer.” While additional rounds weren’t going to occur in a mock competition, the real-life scenario might involve multiple encounters between player and team, with the 24/7 coverage of rumors surrounding a high-profile athlete generating potential leverage for negotiators.
“I believe this strengthened our performance, as we avoided lowering our walk-away value to a level the judges may have deemed unfavorable,” said Ibarguen.
Providing Future Entertainment & Sports Opportunities for Students
Following their success at TPBNC, Drapkin, Ibarguen, and Ruvo plan to take the experience gained in New Orleans as an opportunity to continue to pursue their career goals after law school.
“Pursuing a career in the professional basketball industry—especially as an agent—has long been a goal of mine,” said Ibarguen. “Thanks to Penn Carey Law, ESLS, and the Tulane Professional Basketball Negotiation Competition, I feel closer than ever to making that dream a reality.”
Ruvo, who has been involved with ESLS throughout his entire time at Penn Carey Law, credits the organization’s continued growth over the years with providing more opportunities for students to meaningfully marry their passions with career aspirations. One area, in particular, was establishing a new Competition Chair position on the ESLS Executive Board.
“This role, which is currently held by Bailey Merschman L’25—who also competed at the TPBNC and did a fantastic job—has been critical for us in our goal of sending members to various sports and entertainment related competitions across the United States,” he said. “We are very fortunate that Student Affairs has been so willing and eager to support us on these extracurricular endeavors.”
“Overall, I am very proud of what the club has been able to accomplish throughout my time at Penn Carey Law and look forward to passing the torch and seeing all the amazing things the club accomplishes in the future.”
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