Philadelphia 76ers Hire Jerry Colangelo

The Philadelphia 76ers name Jerry Colangelo Chairman of Basketball Operations and Special Advisor for team.

The Philadelphia 76ers have been active in deals for the past few seasons, but made headlines Monday by adding former managing director and chairman of USA Basketball Jerry Colangelo to their staff.

Colangelo, a native of Phoenix, previously served as the owner of the Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury and the Arizona Diamondbacks, among others.

The 76ers announced that principal owner Josh Harris would be making a public announcement Monday, and Colangelo was hired to a power position role as a result. Per multiple reports, Colangelo will serve as the team’s Chairman of Basketball Operations and Special Advisor.

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NBA commissioner Adam Silver reportedly had a significant say and part in the Sixers signing of Colangelo, per USA Today sports. With the waves of off-the-court issues surrounding rookie center Jahlil Okafor and with general manager Sam Hinkie being absent about the matter, adding Colangelo was a wake-up call.

This is a pipe bomb for a team who is struggling to find ways to win and has become the proverbial target practice for media to take direct aim at. In addition, Colangelo might become more than just part of management moving forward, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

Philadelphia is currently mired in a 1-21 campaign, with another porous start to a season from head coach Brett Brown and his players. The organization recently set a record for most consecutive losses by a team in the four major sports with 28.

The hire of Colangelo does alter management’s viewpoint on the abilities of Hinkie, but Colangelo will not oversee player personnel duties, per Harris.

Hinkie not only has been under a firestorm of media scrutiny for his overhaul of the Philadelphia 76ers organization, but evades the media consistently and deters opportunities to provide quotes and information.

Colangelo could serve in a public voice for the organization, as the team has used Harris repeatedly over the past two seasons to provide information. While Hinkie looks to be relatively safe with his general manager duties, Brown also is reported to be sticking in Philadelphia.

Brown, who has a career 38-148 record with the team, is evidently a difference maker on the sideline for a young Sixers group clamoring for leadership. He shows a fiery personality on the bench and continues to coach intensely, despite the lacking talent he has at his disposal. Brown, who at times had disagreements with Hinkie regarding trades, was a fan of the hiring.

With a newfound attitude, Brown is evidently upbeat and how he translates this heightened joyousness could be a theme moving forward for the Sixers. On the other end of the spectrum sits the once-bulletproof Hinkie. Some of the comments on the hiring of Colangelo were directed at the team’s current state and the fans’ willingness to improve and see changes.

This is Hinkie’s creation. The 38-year-old graduate of Stanford allowed the Sixers to enter a realm not seen in professional basketball for many years. Eventually, ownership made the decision to alter its course and will utilize Colangelo to work with the Sixers general manager in the facets outside of trades and signings.

Harris did say that the current situation needed fine tuning and was more difficult than he originally anticipated.

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Philadelphia was lacking a primary voice to speak up about topics surrounding the organization. With Colangelo’s track record throughout sports, the hire was warranted.