Brooklyn Nets Give Top Job to Sean Marks

Sean Marks, 40, of Auckland, may not be a household name among casual basketball fans – or even among professional basketball players – but the Brooklyn Nets are heralding his general manager appointment as a new direction forward for the club, the New York Times reports.

For the last two seasons, Marks worked as the assistant general manager for the San Antonio Spurs. He spent five years in total with the Spurs in a variety of roles. He spent one season as both the team’s director of basketball operations and as the general manager of its development league affiliate. He was an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich when the Spurs won a championship in 2014.

Marks played professionally as a power forward from 1998 to 2011, appearing on six teams in the NBA and one in the Polish Basketball League. He won a championship as a player with the Spurs in 2005.

Brook Lopez and his teammates, after learning about Marks’ background, said that his pedigree was encouraging.

“They do things right out there, obviously,” Lopez said, referring to the Spurs.

In a statement, Nets’ owner Mikhail Prokhorov characterised Marks as the team’s top choice for the job.

“His experience on the court, in coaching and management gives him a 360-degree view of the job at hand,” Prokhorov said. “His background helping to build one of the greatest teams in the NBA gives him an unparalleled frame of reference. And he impressed us all with his vision, his values, his personality and his enthusiasm for the club.”

Original article by Andrew Keh, The New York Times, February 18, 2016.