RC Buford becomes Spurs CEO as Brian Wright moves up to General Manager
Photos by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images
The San Antonio Spurs front office sees a changing of the guard.
The San Antonio Spurs front office has completed its restructuring. Reports came out last week that long-time General Manager RC Buford would be promoted and replaced by Assistant GM Brian Wright. That move, along with several others, became official.
After 29 years with the organization, Buford was named the CEO of Spurs Sports & Entertainment Tuesday. Buford has been the team’s GM since 2002, playing a major role in shaping the team’s dynasty, as well as the culture that has become synonymous with the team over the years.
In replacing one of the NBA’s greatest GMs of all time, Brian Wright has large shoes to fill. Wright has been an assistant with the team since 2016. He worked his way up the NBA ladder with the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons before arriving in San Antonio.
But Wright is not being thrown into the fire unprepared. Jabari Young of the Athletic reported that Wright had become increasingly involved with the team’s operations over the last year, even playing a major role in last summer’s Kawhi Leonard saga.
The Spurs also promoted several other team executives to higher roles within the organization. Rick Pych and Lawrence Payne will now have strategic advisory roles. Pych has been the organization’s president and co-CEO since 2016 while Payne was previously an executive vice president.
Additionally, Lori Warren and Bobby Perez have both been promoted to executive vice president roles, in charge of running the business end of the organization. Warren will be leaving her role as senior vice president of corporate finance and brand strategy while Perez was formerly SS&E’s senior vice president of general counsel and corporate relations.
Only time will tell how these changes affect the team’s on-court product. In the meantime, we look forward to seeing how the team’s new leadership will continue the sustained excellence that’s come to be expected from the organization.
RC Buford becomes Spurs CEO as Brian Wright moves up to General Manager
Source: Pounding The Rock
