Just wrapped up my 21st NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco, and as always, the experience was incredible. Witnessing the continuous expansion and evolution of the National Basketball Association (NBA) since my decade-long tenure concluded 14 years ago fills me with admiration. However, my deepest pride lies in the league within the league – the NBA G League, which will always be the D-League to me.
It feels like only yesterday that the G League barely had a presence at NBA All-Star Weekend – maybe a small segment during NBA Jam Session. Now, it’s incredible to see the G League taking center stage and thriving on such a prominent platform. It has become an essential and permanent fixture in the global basketball ecosystem.
In my first season, we started with just 6 G League teams, growing to 16 by my last. Back then, 23% of players had NBA experience, initially through call-ups and later integrated assignments under the Collective Bargaining Agreement. This season marks a significant milestone: for the first time, all 30 NBA teams have their own owned and operated NBA G League affiliate. The majority of players in the G League today have NBA experience, showcasing the league’s enhanced talent pool.
It’s a cliché, but the G League truly is a place where dreams become reality. Being part of its establishment is one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life, both professionally and personally. I am eternally grateful to Phil Evans, the late David Stern, and Adam Silver (a fellow Duke University and Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP alumnus) for granting me this incredible opportunity and for their invaluable mentorship.
Launching a professional sports league anywhere is an immense undertaking, as many are currently discovering. You are involved in every aspect of the #Sports, #Media & #Entertainment ecosystem and its diverse value chains. This is especially true in a single-entity model like ours, where we essentially had to manage and cultivate all team businesses alongside the league’s overall business.
However, I was fortunate to work alongside incredibly talented, dedicated, and hardworking colleagues. We were also backed by the brilliant minds and extensive resources of the NBA League Office. Throughout this journey, we faced numerous complex challenges and created countless stories, some of which became legendary within our circles. We often joked that nobody would ever write “the book” on it, but I sincerely hope someone eventually does.
I want to acknowledge and thank the amazing individuals who were instrumental in this journey: Chris Alpert, Chris Lauten, Terrance “Doc” Martin, Karl Hicks, Scott O’Neil, Donna Daniels, Stacy McWilliams, Dan Reed, Shawn H.P. Smith, Monique Epps, Bryan Bullock, Seth Denton, CMA, John Manyo-Plange, Abby Bell, Reggie Saunders, Kevin Carr, Kent Partridge, Joanna Shapiro, Maureen Coyle, Daniel Rube, Jon Israel, Jeanie Buss, RC Buford, Christopher Arena, and countless others.
