As President of the NBA G League, Shareef Abdur-Rahim is responsible for all aspects of the NBA G League’s business and basketball operations, including the implementation of the newly formed professional path, ongoing testing of experimental rules and league-wide expansion efforts.

Abdur-Rahim began working for the NBA in 2016, spending two seasons in the league’s basketball operations department. Prior to joining the league office, Abdur-Rahim spent five years with the Sacramento Kings as assistant general manager and assistant coach. He also served as general manager of the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns (now known as the Stockton Kings) during the 2013-14 season.

As a player, Abdur-Rahim averaged 18.1 points per game in 12 NBA seasons. The third overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, he was named an NBA All-Star with the Atlanta Hawks in the 2001-02 season. Abdur-Rahim also earned a gold medal with USA Basketball at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Abdur-Rahim earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and an MBA from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. He resides in New Jersey with his wife Delicia, son Jabri and daughter Samiyah.

1/2019

As Executive Vice President, Chief Communications Officer, Michael Bass oversees all public relations for the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League and NBA 2K League, including basketball and business communications, on a global basis. He supervises the league’s communications functions, including basketball media operations, media relations, marketing communications, corporate communications, crisis management and digital media communications.

During his 21-year tenure with the NBA, Bass has served as a principal spokesman on all league matters, including the league’s diverse business initiatives, and has led a group charged with promoting those functions. He has led communications strategy for the NBA’s most important business issues, including the league’s last Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, the last three television agreements and its vast digital and global initiatives.

Bass joined the NBA in September 1997 and spent time as Director of NBA Entertainment Communications, where he helped develop a department solely dedicated to public relations for the league’s production and new media division.

Prior to joining the NBA, Bass worked as Senior Press Representative for the CBS television network. He was charged with publicizing the network’s mini-series, movies, specials and event programming. Before that, he was a Senior Account Executive at New York-based public relations/management firm Dan Klores Communications.

A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Bass resides in Westport, Conn., with his wife Pam and two children.

1/2019

As President, Social Responsibility & Player Programs for the National Basketball Association, Kathy Behrens oversees all NBA programs that coordinate league and player social responsibility efforts, promote youth basketball development, support player growth and education, and enhance the marketing opportunities for current and former players.

Behrens joined the NBA in September 2000 as Vice President, Community Relations, overseeing all of the NBA’s public service initiatives, community outreach and employee volunteer programs.  She later worked as Senior Vice President of Community & Player Programs, and Executive Vice President of Social Responsibility & Player Programs.

Prior to joining the NBA, Behrens served as Executive Director of New York Cares, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes volunteers to help people in need throughout the five boroughs.  Before joining New York Cares in 1995, Behrens served in the administration of former New York Governor Mario M. Cuomo, and was the Executive Director of the Friends of Cuomo Campaign Committee during the 1994 governor’s race.

Behrens graduated from the University of Hartford and serves as a member of the university’s Board of Regents.  She is also a trustee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and a member of the Leadership Council for Share Our Strength.

A native of the Bronx, N.Y., Behrens currently lives with her husband and twins Matthew and Maureen in Westchester County, N.Y.

3/2020

As Senior Vice President & Chief Technology Officer for the NBA, Krishna Bhagavathula is responsible for leading the league’s Information Technology department. He leads efforts to further strengthen the NBA’s technology strategy and vision, delivering best-in-class applications, systems and infrastructure to support the league and its 30 teams.

Prior to joining the NBA in September 2017, Bhagavathula served as Chief Technology Officer for NBC News Digital, where he led their technology team with a focus on developing web and mobile platforms and products for NBCNews.com, MSNBC and shows including TODAY, Nightly News and Meet The Press. Before joining NBC News in 2013, he spent eight years with WebMD Health, most significantly as Vice President of Engineering, where he led development teams responsible for WebMD’s internet properties, mobile applications, content management and search/discovery platforms.

Bhagavathula has also held management consulting positions with BearingPoint, IBM and PricewaterhouseCoopers after starting his career as a software developer at Convergys. He has extensive experience driving technology strategy as well as leading and implementing business and technology solutions across a wide range of organizations, from startups to multi-billion dollar corporations.

Bhagavathula received a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Cincinnati. He lives in Short Hills, N.J., with his wife and two daughters.

10/2017

As Executive Vice President, Digital Media for the National Basketball Association, Melissa Rosenthal Brenner leads the development, oversight and implementation of the NBA’s global digital strategy and social media portfolio across multiple media platforms.  In that role, she has forged groundbreaking deals with leading social media companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat, found innovative ways to incorporate social media throughout the league’s wide array of assets, and helped NBA partners maximize social media opportunities with the league.  Brenner also oversees the league’s digital products strategy and emerging technology initiatives, including artificial intelligence as well as augmented, mixed and virtual reality.

Additionally, Brenner co-manages NBA Digital, the league’s extensive cross-platform portfolio of digital assets jointly operated by the NBA and WarnerMedia, including the NBA App, NBA League Pass, NBA.com and NBA TV.  In recent years, Brenner oversaw the rollout of a variety of new digital offerings, including single-game, quarter-by-quarter and 10-minute availability of NBA League Pass, phone- and tablet-optimized streams through NBA Mobile View, fully produced weekly games in virtual reality, and the league’s first real-time fantasy game, NBA InPlay.

Under her leadership, the NBA has built one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 1.8 billion likes and followers combined across all league, team and player pages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Sina and Tencent.  Brenner has been instrumental in the NBA’s achievement of many milestones in the social media space, including the first professional sports league to partner with YouTube (2005) and Facebook (2007).

A member of the NBA family since 1997, Brenner has also worked in the Consumer Products Marketing, Advertising and Marketing departments.  She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Brenner lives on the Upper West Side with her husband Joe and their two children, Sadie and Jack.

6/2020

As President, Team Marketing & Business Operations (TMBO) and Chief Innovation Officer at the NBA, Amy Brooks drives innovative decision-making and growth across the league’s business through the development and execution of new ideas and initiatives, and collaborates with the NBA’s senior leadership on setting the league’s global strategic priorities.

Brooks is also responsible for growing NBA, WNBA, NBA G League and NBA 2K League team profitability through strategic consulting on all aspects of business operations, including ticket and sponsorship sales, marketing, digital, customer retention, arena operations, staffing, analytics and expense control. Under her leadership, TMBO develops best practice sales and marketing strategies and industry-leading analytics on behalf of 93 teams in four leagues. Brooks has helped drive results across all leagues, including numerous records for attendance, ticket revenue and sponsorship revenue. In 2018-19, the NBA set an all-time sellout record, coming off four consecutive seasons of all-time attendance records. Additionally, Brooks spearheaded the NBA’s groundbreaking jersey patch program to feature corporate logos on team jerseys.

Since joining the NBA in 2005, Brooks has served in a variety of roles, and in 2017 was named the league’s first Chief Innovation Officer.

Prior to the NBA, Brooks worked for Bain & Company, a global management consulting firm. Previously, she was a product manager at Sun Microsystems.

Brooks received her M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She also holds a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, where she was a member of the women’s basketball team that won three conference championships and went to the NCAA Final Four. Brooks serves on the national board of directors for Positive Coaching Alliance, a nonprofit organization. She also has been recognized by SportsBusiness Journal (Forty Under 40) and Forbes (Most Powerful Women in Sports).

10/2019

Rick Buchanan is General Counsel of the NBA and the league’s Chief Compliance Officer. He also serves as Secretary of the NBA’s Board of Governors.

As General Counsel, Buchanan is responsible for all legal affairs of the NBA and its affiliates, including collective bargaining with NBA players, Board of Governors and ownership matters, litigation, legislation, investigations, legal issues arising from the league’s various commercial businesses, player matters, and team and arena issues. In his role as Chief Compliance Officer, Buchanan oversees the Code of Conduct applicable to all NBA employees, and is responsible for the league’s compliance program, including anti-gambling education and enforcement, and FCPA matters.

Buchanan currently serves on the Legal Commission of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), and is a frequent lecturer on sports law – including at the Columbia, Georgetown, Virginia, and Brooklyn schools of law.

Before joining the NBA in 1993, Buchanan was associated with the law firm of Covington & Burling in Washington, DC, where he was a litigator concentrating on professional sports and antitrust matters, and served as a judicial law clerk for Judge Kenneth W. Starr of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Buchanan is a 1985 graduate of Amherst College and a 1988 graduate of the Harvard Law School, where he served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review.

4/2017

As President of Administration at the National Basketball Association, Robert Criqui oversees the global facilities, benefits, information technology, security, risk management, internal audit, diversity and inclusion, people & culture, and administration affairs of the league and its related entities. His responsibilities also include administration of leaguewide team programs, including benefit and pension plans, the team air charter program, and leaguewide insurance programs. Criqui is also a director of NBA China.

Criqui joined the NBA in 1983 as controller, became Vice President in 1989, Senior Vice President in 1997, Executive Vice President in 2004, and President in 2010. He first became associated with the NBA when the league was a client of his at the accounting firm of Ernst & Young in New York, where he worked for seven years.

Criqui, a 1976 graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University, currently resides in Ridgewood, N.J. with his family.

6/2016

As Senior Vice President & Managing Director, NBA Latin America, Arnon de Mello oversees the development and expansion of the NBA’s business and basketball initiatives throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. He directs all of the league’s efforts in the region across marketing partnerships, events, television, digital media and licensed merchandise through a dedicated Latin America team with headquarters in New York City and two local offices in Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City.

Since joining the NBA in 2012 as Vice President and Managing Director, NBA Brazil, de Mello launched the NBA’s regional office in Rio de Janeiro and oversaw the continued growth of the business in Brazil. As part of his efforts to grow the game, he directed key strategic partnerships, including with Globosat and Liga Nacional de Basquete (LNB), grew the league’s local sponsorship business, successfully launched the NBA’s e-commerce presence in Brazil, and brought the game closer to fans through programs such as NBA Global Games, Basketball without Borders, NBA3X and Jr. NBA.

Prior to joining the NBA, de Mello was the CEO and co-founder of Loops, which helps companies, political parties and community groups with their social media strategies. He also has a background in investment banking, covering the media, telecom and technology industries in both the U.S. and Brazil, spending years with Astor Group and Barclays Capital.

de Mello also was the elected president of CSA (professional soccer team) from 1999-2001, and ran for Congress in 2002.

de Mello is a graduate of MIT Sloan School of Management, Harvard University and University of Chicago. He is fluent in Portuguese, English, German and French, and speaks conversational Spanish and Italian.

1/2019

Ayala Deutsch is Executive Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of NBA Properties, where she is responsible for managing commercial legal affairs and intellectual property matters for the National Basketball Association (NBA) and its affiliated leagues, including the global acquisition, protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights belonging to the NBA, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the NBA G League and their respective teams.

Her specialties include trademark law, copyright law, and technology law. Deutsch was named to her current position in January 2016, after serving as Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel since February 2014. Deutsch also previously served as Senior Vice President & Chief Intellectual Property Counsel. She joined NBA Properties in January 1998.

Prior to joining the NBA, Deutsch was an associate at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton in New York, where she specialized in intellectual property litigation and arbitration.

Deutsch formerly was appointed to the Trademark Public Advisory Committee of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Currently, Deutsch is Treasurer and a member of the Board of Directors of the International Trademark Association, and serves as an adjunct professor of sports law at Cardozo School of Law.

Deutsch received her J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1989.

7/2017

As Managing Director of the NBA 2K League, Brendan Donohue is responsible for overseeing the first official esports league operated by a U.S. professional sports league. Donohue, a sports industry veteran with more than two decades of experience in team and league operations, manages a league that features 23 teams that completed its second season in August 2019.

Prior to assuming his current role in April 2017, Donohue served as Senior Vice President of the NBA’s industry-renowned Team Marketing & Business Operations (TMBO) department, where he led the strategic planning and management for all teams across the NBA, WNBA and NBA G League, helping them innovate in sales, marking, digital and analytical areas of their business. He was instrumental in several of TMBO’s accomplishments, including assisting with ownership transitions in Sacramento, Philadelphia, Detroit and Memphis. His responsibilities also included leading team business discussions at WNBA and NBA G League Board of Governors meetings and presenting at frequent workshops, including assisting NBA team presidents on best practices in marketing, ticket sales and sponsorship sales.

Before joining the NBA league office in 2009, Donohue spent five years as Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service with the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Thrashers and Philips Arena. During his career in Atlanta, Donohue led five consecutive seasons of revenue growth, including ranking first in the NBA in ticket revenue growth during the 2008-09 season. He also previously held positions with the then-New Orleans Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons and Palace Sports and Entertainment.

Donohue earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston College in 1996. He resides in Fairfield, Conn., with his wife Patty, daughter Mandy and son Carter.

10/2019

Cathy Engelbert was appointed Commissioner of the WNBA in July 2019. As the WNBA’s first Commissioner, Engelbert is responsible for setting the vision for the WNBA and overseeing the league’s day-to-day business and basketball operations.

Engelbert has more than 30 years of experience in business and operations. Previously, Engelbert was CEO of Deloitte since 2015, where she led one of the largest professional services organizations in the U.S. with more than 100,000 professionals. Over the course of her tenure, she led a large transformation across the business by moving the firm towards emerging technologies such as AI, blockchain, robotics and cloud, including securing ecosystem partnerships with large technology companies and executing digital acquisitions. During her tenure, revenues grew more than 30 percent, and Engelbert drove a people-first agenda, including implementing a holistic well-being culture through programs like Deloitte’s 16-week family leave policy.

Engelbert received a B.S. in accounting from Lehigh University and is a certified public accountant licensed in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. During her time at Lehigh, Engelbert was a member of the university’s basketball and lacrosse teams and served as a senior captain for both teams. On the court, she played for former Lehigh coach and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Muffet McGraw. Engelbert’s father, Kurt, played for Naismith Hall of Fame coach Jack Ramsay at Saint Joseph’s University and was drafted in 1957 by the NBA’s Detroit Pistons.

As a strong supporter of diversity and inclusion, Engelbert is the first woman to serve as chair of the Catalyst Board, a global non-profit organization that promotes inclusive workplaces for women, and was also the first woman chair of the Center for Audit Quality Governing Board. Engelbert has been listed as one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women for the last four years. She is ranked on Glassdoor’s annual Employees’ Choice Awards honoring the 100 Highest-Rated CEOs, and among Crain’s 50 Most Powerful Women in New York. Engelbert has also been recognized as one of Working Mother magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Moms and one of Fast Company magazine’s Most Productive People.

Engelbert is married and has two children.

8/2019

As President of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), Amadou Gallo Fall is leading the historic league’s upcoming launch and defining its vision and strategy for years to come.  Fall, who was named BAL President in May 2019, oversees the league’s business and basketball operations, leading its efforts to build a comprehensive basketball ecosystem in Africa.

Prior to being named BAL President, Fall was Vice President & Managing Director of NBA Africa, where he worked with local federations, corporations, NGOs and other key stakeholders to grow the game of basketball across the continent.  He helped open the NBA’s office in Johannesburg in 2010 and over the next decade oversaw the league’s grassroots development efforts and partnerships with marketing, media and consumer products companies in Africa.

Before joining the league office, Fall worked for the Dallas Mavericks as Director of Player Personnel and Vice President of International Affairs, where he served as the team’s goodwill ambassador internationally and oversaw its scouting assignments.  In this role, Fall traveled to Africa and was an integral part of Basketball Without Borders, the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program that uses the game to create positive social change in the areas of education, health and wellness.

Fall graduated magna cum laude from the University of the District of Columbia, where he played center on the basketball team.

9/2020

As Executive Vice President of Global Events at the National Basketball Association, Kelly Flatow is responsible for producing more than 200 league and partner-driven events each year, including tentpole events like NBA All-Star and NBA Global Games, media-driven programming like NBA Draft and NBA Summer League, and a variety of lifestyle and grassroots events.

Prior to her current role, Flatow served as the interim head of Marketing and before that Senior Vice President of Global Marketing Partnerships, where she led the development and activation of marketing assets, driving growth across the U.S., Europe, Latin America, China and Asia.

Before rejoining the NBA in 2010, Flatow served as Senior Vice President of Partnership Marketing at Live Nation, the world’s leading ticketing company and largest promoter of live concerts. Hired prior to the merger with Ticketmaster to build out the enterprise’s Affiliate and Strategic Partnership programs, Flatow developed and launched Live Nation’s social media platform. In her first stint with the NBA from 2006 to 2008, Flatow served as Vice President of Strategic Marketing, where she created marketing solutions for prospective marketing partners.

From 2005 to 2006, Flatow served as a key conduit to the entertainment community for The Coca-Cola Company, where she led relationships with The Oscars, American Idol and Jay-Z. From 2000 to 2005, she was a founding member of the corporate marketing department at CAA, building entertainment marketing programs and relationships for brands such as Coca-Cola, Motorola and Delta Air Lines. Prior to her time at CAA, Flatow worked at ProServ/SFX Sports managing a portfolio of product and service marketers, including Hershey and Staples. She helped build the strategies for negotiating and activating the naming rights for STAPLES Center, a milestone naming rights deal.

A graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., Flatow is a member of the Advertising Women of New York and WISE and is an active mentor in the sports marketing industry.

10/2020

As Senior Vice President, Corporate Services for the National Basketball Association, Jarad Franzreb oversees the global production of corporate events and videos for the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League and USA Basketball. His responsibilities also include the production management of league marketing campaigns and public service announcements, archiving and distribution of NBA photography and video to league broadcast partners, marketing partners, and third party licensees.

Since joining the league in 1994, Franzreb has held a variety of positions in the league’s Production, Marketing and Sales, and Advertising groups. Prior to joining the NBA, he was the Director of Public Relations for the Celebrity Golf Association, coordinating publicity and public relations for a variety of events throughout North America. Franzreb tipped off his NBA career with the New York Knicks, where he began as a Public Relations intern in the 1991-92 season and assisted in various capacities with the organization through 1997.

In 1992, Franzreb earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology/psychology from Fordham University, where he also played and coached basketball.

A Staten Island, N.Y. native, Franzreb resides in New Providence, N.J. with his wife Crissy and daughter Ally.

7/2017

Steve Hellmuth is Executive Vice President, Media Operations & Technology for NBA Entertainment. He is responsible for overseeing the league’s broadcast operations and engineering departments. He also oversees the development and implementation of the NBA broadcast facility standards for the design, construction and operation of NBA arenas.

Under Hellmuth’s direction, the NBA installed SportVU Player Tracking technology from Stats, Inc., in every NBA venue, making the NBA the first major U.S. professional sports league to quantify and analyze the movement of live game action throughout an entire season. The system calibrates and measures the movements of all players and the ball on the court.

He also led the launch of the NBA Digital Media Archive, the first major professional sports league to unveil such an initiative. The NBA is currently in the process of digitizing the league’s entire video library – more than 400,000 hours of games, highlights and programming – to create the digital media archive. The global delivery of video and statistics via satellite, fiber, broadband and mobile also falls under Hellmuth’s purview.

Before joining the NBA, Hellmuth spent two years as the Senior Vice President & General Manager of Major League Baseball Productions, where he supervised the programming and production departments. Prior to that, Hellmuth served as General Manager for Potomac Television Communications in Washington, D.C. He also worked at NBC in New York from 1979 to 1987, serving as Production Manager for the network’s sports division. Hellmuth produced the Emmy-nominated opening telecasts for the 1986 World Series and coordinated the production of Olympic profiles for the 1980 Moscow games.

Hellmuth is the past Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Sports Video Group and the Content and Communications World Council.

Hellmuth graduated from Princeton University in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in art history.

6/2016

Kate Jhaveri was appointed Chief Marketing Officer of the NBA in August 2019. In her role, Jhaveri is responsible for leading the global marketing operations for the NBA, NBA G League and NBA 2K League, including the development of innovative marketing campaigns and brand messaging across all platforms to connect with fans and grow the game of basketball around the world. Additionally, she oversees the consumer insights and analytics departments to enhance the NBA’s consumer data strategy and implement new marketing programs.

Previously, Jhaveri served as CMO of Twitch, where she established the platform as the leader in live interactive content. Leading Twitch’s brand strategy, Jhaveri oversaw a global team of 90 employees and was responsible for growing, engaging and retaining the brand’s core audiences of more than 15 million daily active viewers and more than three million unique content creators each month.

Prior to Twitch, Jhaveri was Head of Consumer Marketing at Twitter, where she managed all consumer-facing campaigns that drove increased user growth, engagement and brand relevance with consumers worldwide. Jhaveri also previously served as Head of Brand Marketing at Facebook and spent seven years at Microsoft overseeing the worldwide Marketing Communications team for Windows, Internet Explorer and bing.com. Earlier in her career, she was Manager of Corporate Strategy at Dell.

Jhaveri serves as secretary of the national board for Planned Parenthood Action Fund. She received her MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business in 2003 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree from College of the Holy Cross in 1995.

Originally from Baltimore, Jhaveri is married and has two children.

8/2019

As President of Global Content & Media Distribution, Bill Koenig is responsible for the domestic and international media businesses for the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League and USA Basketball. In this role, Koenig develops strategies for dealing with the rapidly changing media landscape, structures and negotiates broadcast, digital and social media agreements, and advises NBA teams on local media matters. Koenig also helps manage the NBA’s relationships with the league’s major media partners around the globe, such as ABC/ESPN, WarnerMedia, Sinclair, Comcast/NBC Sports/Sky, AT&T/DirecTV, Verizon, Tencent and a number of digital and social media partners. Additionally, Koenig oversees the NBA’s content development, production and licensing activities and the league’s direct-to-consumer offerings (including NBA TV, NBA League Pass and the NBA’s applications and websites).

Prior to his current role, Koenig was NBA Executive Vice President, Business Affairs and General Counsel, where he was the head of business affairs and responsible for all legal work across a variety of league businesses, including digital, television, media, sponsorship and licensing. In that role, Koenig helped negotiate virtually every major commercial agreement for the NBA, developed and oversaw the league’s media policies, and was instrumental in many NBA accomplishments, including the launch and growth of NBA TV and the WNBA, the NBA’s partnership with WarnerMedia to jointly manage NBA Digital’s assets, and the creation of NBA China. Koenig joined the NBA in 1990 and served as the NBA’s Assistant General Counsel before becoming General Counsel of NBA Entertainment in 1993.

Koenig serves on the Board of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the T. Howard Foundation. Prior to joining the NBA, Koenig was associated with the law firm of Proskauer Rose Goetz and Mendelsohn, where he was a litigator who concentrated on professional sports and antitrust matters.

Koenig graduated with honors from Harvard University, the London School of Economics and the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, where he served as an editor of the Law Review.

Koenig is a native of Hollywood, Fla., and resides in Scarsdale, N.Y.

4/2020

As President, Global Partnerships, Salvatore LaRocca oversees the NBA’s commercial partnerships business on a global basis. LaRocca leads a team that is responsible for the management of the league’s global merchandising and marketing partnerships.

Previously, LaRocca served as President, Global Operations and Merchandising, where he managed the NBA’s regional offices and international development as well as the league’s award-winning merchandising and consumer products business. In that role, LaRocca oversaw a staff based in offices worldwide who manage the NBA’s international business activities across consumer products, television and media, marketing partnerships, events, communications and new business initiatives.

Under his direction, NBA merchandise has grown to global distribution in more than 100 countries on six continents and sales on NBAStore.com have increased by more than 100 percent. Under LaRocca’s leadership, LIMA, the worldwide trade organization for the licensing industry, has named the NBA Sports License of the Year and the league’s Hardwood Classics collection as Best Sports Product.

LaRocca was also responsible for the completion of the NBA’s global merchandising and marketing partnerships with adidas, Electronic Arts, Nike, Panini, Spalding and Take Two, and developed the structure of the league’s global video game and E-commerce businesses. Prior to this, LaRocca served as the NBA’s Vice President of E-commerce, managing the 2000 relaunch of NBAStore.com.

In 1996, he was promoted to Vice President of Licensing. Prior to 1996, LaRocca oversaw the league’s apparel and USA Basketball licensing programs. LaRocca joined the NBA in March 1990 as Eastern Regional Sales Manager.

LaRocca serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of LaSalle Academy in New York City and is on the Board of Directors for the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. LaRocca has previously served on the board of LIMA and is a past recipient of the SportsBusiness Journal’s Forty Under 40 award.

3/2017

As Executive Vice President & Managing Director, NBA Asia, Scott Levy oversees development and expansion of the NBA’s strategic initiatives in Asia excluding Greater China. Levy also directs all of NBA Asia’s business groups, including content distribution, global partnerships, events and marketing. Levy reports to NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum.

Since Levy’s arrival in 2009, the league has dramatically expanded its local partnerships, resulting in more than 130 NBA-branded retail doors and e-commerce sites, multiple new marketing partners, the launch of Jr. NBA across Southeast Asia and more than 12 million followers from Asia across the league’s global and local social media platforms.

From 2006 to 2009, Levy ran his own consulting company, MJ Global Sports and Media Inc. Levy previously worked for the NBA for 10 years and left as Senior Vice President, International Television and Marketing Partnerships. During Levy’s tenure, he helped grow broadcast distribution for NBA programming to more than 200 countries and 40 languages. Under this leadership, the NBA launched many new content offerings internationally including NBA TV, the league’s 24-hour network.

Prior to beginning his first NBA stint in 1996, Levy traveled independently and extensively throughout China, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Levy is on the board of the Global Health Society, a nonprofit organization that conducts camps and develops programs for children with bleeding disorders. He has competed in multi-sport and adventure races, including the New York Marathon, Oxfam Japan Trailwalker and many triathlons raising funds for Fred’s Team and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Levy is based in Hong Kong with his wife Ilene and sons Matthew and Joshua.

1/2019

As the NBA’s Chief Financial Officer, J.B. Lockhart is responsible for overseeing the strategic planning and financial affairs of the league, including accounting, financial reporting and the management of the NBA’s financial relationships.

Prior to assuming his current role in June 2017, Lockhart spent more than three years at the league office spearheading the financial reporting and analysis of NBA, WNBA and NBA G League teams as Senior Vice President, Team Finance & Strategy. He was instrumental on the NBA’s leaguewide financing program, team ownership transactions, arena projects, collective bargaining, league investments and other strategic initiatives.

In 2017, Lockhart was honored by SportsBusiness Journal with a Forty Under 40 Award.

Before joining the NBA in 2013, Lockhart was a Managing Director with Teneo Capital, where he led the firm’s media and entertainment merchant banking practice. Previously, Lockhart was a Principal at Greenhill & Co.’s venture capital fund, which invested in digital media, marketing technology and ecommerce companies.

Preceding his time at Greenhill, Lockhart worked in The Walt Disney Company’s Strategic Planning Group, where he focused on business development and M&A initiatives, including the acquisition of Pixar and the sale of Disney’s stake in E! Networks. In this role, he also partnered with the leaders of Disney’s business units on the launch of new businesses and the annual financial planning process. Prior to Disney, Lockhart worked at Lehman Brothers in both the Communications, Media & Entertainment Group and the Strategy & Technology Group.

Lockhart received a B.A. with honors from Yale University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He lives in Riverside, Conn., with his wife and two sons.

7/2017

As CEO of NBA China, Michael Ma oversees the league’s basketball and business development initiatives in China and is responsible for continuing to grow the popularity of basketball and the NBA throughout the country.  He is based in the league’s Beijing office and reports to NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum.

Prior to being appointed to the position in May 2020 by the NBA China Board of Directors, Ma was most recently CEO of Endeavor China, a subsidiary of global sports and entertainment leader Endeavor with Sequoia Capital China and Tencent.  As the founding head of Endeavor China, Ma was instrumental in establishing relationships with industry-leading sports and entertainment properties and expanding their reach in China, including with the English Premier League, Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the PGA and LPGA Tours, Wimbledon and more.

Before Endeavor China, Ma spent more than a decade with the NBA at the league’s offices in New York City and Beijing.  Ma, who initially joined the NBA in 2003 and quickly rose to become Vice President of Global Strategy, helped launch NBA China in 2008 and grow the league’s presence throughout the country through corporate development, sponsorships, media distribution and gaming.

Ma holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Rutgers University.

6/2020

As Managing Director of NBA Canada, Leah MacNab is responsible for the development and growth of the league’s business in Canada, including television and digital media, marketing and retail partnerships, licensing, special events and basketball development. MacNab assumed the role in August 2019 following a record-setting year for NBA viewership, marketing partnerships and merchandise sales in Canada.

In 2015, MacNab was promoted to NBA Canada’s Senior Director of Global Marketing Partnerships, leading new business, strategy and relationship management for the league’s marketing partners in Canada. She has played a significant role in the league’s biggest events in the country – including NBA Canada Series presented by Bell – and created the annual NBA Canada Partner Summit, which began in 2018 and brings together the league’s Canadian partners, executives and industry thought-leaders. In 2018, MacNab received the Canadian Sports Business “5 to Watch” Award, recognizing her as one of the top sports executives in Canada under 40 years old.

MacNab joined the league in 2005, playing an integral role in developing the licensing, retail development and sponsorship marketing departments. Prior to the NBA, she worked as a political staffer and market researcher.

MacNab sits on the Sponsorship Marketing Council Canada’s Steering Committee for Education. She is passionate about critical and creative thinking, marketing, women’s empowerment and food. A graduate of the University of Toronto, MacNab also has a postgraduate marketing certificate from Ryerson University.

MacNab currently lives in Toronto with her husband Graham and sons Warren and Wesley.

8/2019

As Vice President, Head of Referee Development and Training, Monty McCutchen oversees the day-to-day management and oncourt performance of all officials in the NBA officiating program, which services the NBA, WNBA and NBA G League.

McCutchen assumed his current position in December 2017 after spending 25 seasons as an NBA official. One of the league’s highest-rated and most respected referees, McCutchen officiated more than 1,400 regular-season games and 169 playoff games. He refereed 16 games in the NBA Finals, most recently working Game 3 of the 2017 championship series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors.

Before joining the NBA, McCutchen served as a referee in the Continental Basketball Association for four seasons. He officiated playoff games all four years, including the CBA Finals in his last three seasons.

A native of San Angelo, Texas, McCutchen earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature and speech communication from the University of Texas at Arlington. McCutchen and his wife have a son and a daughter.

1/2018

Danny Meiseles serves as President & Executive Producer, Content for the National Basketball Association, after his promotion to the position in February 2014. In this role, Meiseles oversees the development, production and programming of NBA, WNBA and NBA G League content and events globally. Meiseles is also responsible for overseeing the league’s digital media, production operations, and corporate and special services functions as well as managing the league’s relationships with its national television partners – ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA Digital – and its local and regional partners, including Fox Sports Network.

Meiseles started at the NBA in 1990 as an associate producer. During his career at the league, he has produced and coordinated NBAE live entertainment productions for ABC, NBC, ESPN, TNT, MTV and Nickelodeon, as well as at the basketball venues for the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics. A graduate of St. John’s University, Meiseles began his career at NBC as associate producer working on the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

7/2017

As Executive Vice President & Chief Security Officer, Jerome Pickett oversees all aspects of the league’s domestic and international security operations.

Prior to joining the NBA in October 2014, Pickett spent 16 years with the United States Secret Service (USSS). Most recently, Pickett served as a supervisory special agent of the Presidential counter assault team, providing global tactical support for the President in the event of various potential threats. Prior to that, Pickett held a variety of positions and responsibilities within the USSS, from leading forensic investigations into electronic crimes, to managing protective services for the President and First Lady, to participating in search and rescue operations at Ground Zero and working with a team of USSS agents that investigated the terrorists involved in the September 11 attacks.

Pickett has received numerous awards, including the U.S. Secret Service Medal of Valor for his heroic actions during 9/11. In 2015, Pickett was honored by the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security with an Industry Leader Under 40 Award, which recognizes a professional that has demonstrated outstanding leadership in addressing safety and security issues. He also serves as a member of the Marist College Alumni Executive Board.

Pickett earned a master’s degree in Homeland Security from American Military University and a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Marist College.

1/2019

As Managing Director of NBA Europe and Middle East (NBA EME), Ralph Rivera oversees the league’s basketball and business development throughout Europe and the Middle East and is supported by the region’s senior leadership team to continue to grow the popularity of basketball.

Rivera was most recently the Managing Director at Eurosport Digital with Discovery Communications, where he was responsible for leading their digital direct-to-consumer business, including the website, Eurosport.com, and over-the-top (OTT) sports platform, Eurosport Player. He directed teams across Europe and expanded Eurosport’s sports coverage, launching new premium sports rights partnerships for the 2018 Winter Olympics, Bundesliga and Lega Basket Serie A. Under his leadership, Eurosport Digital expanded the reach of its OTT sports platform to 69 countries and territories in 14 languages and became the No. 1 Pan-European sport OTT service.

Prior to Discovery Communications, Rivera spent six years as Director at BBC Digital, where he oversaw and led the transformation of BBC’s digital presence, increasing BBC’s online reach to 40 million people and making the BBC iPlayer the top OTT video service in the United Kingdom. He also previously served as President at Major League Gaming, and spent 10 years at AOL as Senior Vice President and General Manager for Games and International Programming.

Rivera holds an MBA in finance and international business from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Columbia University. Rivera served on the BBC Executive Board, the BBC Children in Need Board, and on the Imperial College Data Science Institute Advisory Board.

Rivera and his wife Btissam have two kids and live in London.

1/2019

Dan Rube joined the NBA in 1995 and currently serves as the league’s Executive Vice President and Deputy General Counsel.

Rube’s principal responsibilities include collective bargaining with the National Basketball Players Association, management of the NBA’s salary cap system, counseling teams on matters relating to the CBA and league rules, and the formulation and implementation of league revenue-sharing policies. In addition to his work in these areas, Rube is responsible for implementing the NBA’s agreement with FIBA, basketball’s world governing body, and for overseeing the structuring and administration of league-wide benefit programs for players, coaches, and team executives. Rube also works on projects for the NBA Board of Governors and on various competition-related matters.

Prior to joining the NBA, Rube served as a law clerk for the Hon. Robert Cowen of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and worked as a litigation associate at the New York law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and the Philadelphia law firm of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll. Rube received his B.A. from Amherst College in 1988 and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1991.

1/2015

As Senior Vice President, Chief Facilities Officer at the National Basketball Association, Chris Russo leads the league’s Facilities & Venues department, overseeing the design and development of domestic and international NBA projects, and representing league interests in real estate initiatives, including league office operations and arena development.

Russo joined the NBA in 1996. During his tenure, he has led the completion of more than 65 NBA venue projects as well as the global development of league offices and branded properties. A leading facility and arena design and construction expert, Russo directs the league’s oversight of all new arena development and created the NBA Arena Standards. He has also directed league design and development interests internationally, focusing on the creation of NBA properties, including NBA-style arenas in Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai, China.

Russo leads various aspects of the league’s COVID-19 response plans. He chairs the league’s business continuity task force that is responsible for safely reopening league offices and advising teams on processes and protocols for reopening team facilities. In addition, Russo is an executive member of the league’s task force focused on the 2019-20 season restart in Orlando and developing standards for the operational relaunch of NBA arenas in support of the 2020-21 NBA season.

Russo began his career with the Turner Construction Company in New York City and was a recipient of the World Trade Center Award for Exceptional Service. Prior to joining the NBA, Russo worked for The City of New York in the Mayor’s Office of Construction, where he played a leading role in the formation of New York City’s Department of Design and Construction.

9/2020

As President, League Operations at the National Basketball Association, Byron Spruell oversees critical league operations, including the Basketball Operations, Referee Operations and Basketball Strategy & Analytics departments and the processes regarding the management of rule changes, the evaluation and training of game officials, the enforcement of conduct standards and discipline, and the application of analytics and innovation on the future of the game. Spruell also collaborates with USA Basketball and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) to promote the global growth of the game and development of players worldwide.

Prior to joining the NBA in August 2016, Spruell spent 20 years at Deloitte LLP, most recently as its Vice Chairman, Central Region Market Leader. He spearheaded the firm’s client and business growth and strategic positioning across 22 states consisting of 31 offices and more than 14,000 Deloitte professionals across the region. He also served as Chicago Managing Principal, supervising talent and community involvement initiatives in the local office.

Spruell has served on several charitable boards and committees, including World Business Chicago and the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and is active in various nonprofit organizations, including the United Way, Big Shoulders Fund, Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and Chicago Urban League. He is currently on the boards of the Museum of Science and Industry, Metropolitan Family Services in Chicago and the Jackie Robinson Foundation in New York.

Spruell, who grew up in Cleveland, earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA in finance from the University of Notre Dame. He was an offensive lineman and co-captain of the Fighting Irish’s football team and currently serves on the University’s Board of Trustees and as an Advisor on the Monogram Club. Spruell met his wife, Sedra, at Notre Dame. They have a son, Devyn, and a daughter, Aleah.

2/2017

David Stern passed away on January 1, 2020.  He completed his 30-year tenure as NBA commissioner on February 1, 2014.

As commissioner, Mr. Stern built the model for professional sports in league operations, public service, global marketing, television distribution and digital technology.  He oversaw the NBA’s extraordinary growth with seven new franchises, a more than 30-fold increase in revenues, a dramatic expansion of national television exposure and the launch of two leagues, the Women’s National Basketball Association and the NBA Development League.  He negotiated the first anti-drug agreement in professional sports and introduced the salary cap system and revenue sharing to the NBA.

The NBA experienced tremendous global growth during Mr. Stern’s tenure, and was the first U.S. professional sports league to stage regular-season games outside North America.

Mr. Stern also oversaw the launch of the leagues’ digital assets, including NBA.com, WNBA.com, and NBADLeague.com; social media platforms; NBA League Pass; NBA TV; and mobile applications, all of which reach hundreds of millions of fans every day.

An intense commitment to social responsibility both in the United States and around the world marked Mr. Stern’s tenure as commissioner.  Under his leadership, the league launched NBA Cares, a global social responsibility program that builds on the NBA’s mission of addressing important social issues.

Mr. Stern was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2014 and the International Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.  He was a 2013 recipient of the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal, awarded by Harvard University in recognition of contributions to African and African-American culture, and a recipient of the Yale Executive Leadership Institute’s Legend in Leadership Award, which celebrates contemporary business leaders who have made transformational contributions across sectors.  He was the chair emeritus of the Trustees of Columbia University and served on the boards of the Rutgers University Foundation, the NAACP, the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the Paley Center for Media and Jazz at Lincoln Center.  He was also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.  A native of New York City, Mr. Stern was a graduate of Rutgers University and Columbia Law School.

Most recently, as CEO of DJS Global Advisors, Mr. Stern was a Senior Advisor to the NBA, investment bank PJT Partners, venture capital firm Greycroft Partners and PWC’s Entertainment and Media Advisory Practice, as well as an advisor to several sports technology start-ups.

1/2020

As Chief People and Inclusion Officer at the National Basketball Association, Oris Stuart is responsible for leading the combined Human Resources and Diversity and Inclusion groups.  He oversees diversity and inclusion strategies for the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League and NBA 2K League and its teams, supports the growth and development of the NBA’s global workforce, and strengthens commitments to attract, retain, develop and engage diverse talent.

With a focus on people, culture, inclusion and innovation, Stuart aims to establish policies and expand programs to increase the representation of people of color and women in leadership roles and positions across the league.  He leads the NBA’s Global Inclusion Council and efforts to grow the league’s network of Black-, women- and diverse-owned suppliers.  Stuart also works closely with senior leadership to enable, empower and develop employees in 13 U.S. and international offices.

Stuart joined the NBA in June 2015 and was named the league’s first Chief People and Inclusion Officer in 2020.

Stuart has 20 years of experience as a business executive in the diversity and inclusion and talent management fields.  Prior to the NBA, Stuart spent two years as a Senior Partner with Korn Ferry, an executive search and talent management firm, where he led its Inclusion and Diversity practice.  Previously, Stuart served as the Chief Executive Officer for Global Novations, the world’s leading provider of diversity and inclusion consulting and training solutions.  During his tenure with Global Novations, Stuart supported clients across Asia, Australia, Europe and North America, guided the expansion of the firm’s technology and consulting platforms, and led its ultimate acquisition by Korn Ferry in 2012.

Stuart graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in electrical engineering and holds an MBA from Duke University.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Black MBA Association and is a member of the Executive Leadership Council, a national organization that empowers African-American corporate leaders to make significant and impactful contributions in the global marketplace and their communities.

9/2020

E.M. ‘Kiki’ VanDeWeghe III, the NBA’s Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations, oversees all aspects of basketball related to the playing of the game.

VanDeWeghe joined the NBA league office in April 2013 as Vice President, Basketball Operations and was promoted to Senior Vice President, Basketball Operations later the same year. He has been involved in a broad range of basketball matters, including the development of playing rules and interpretations, game analytics, disciplinary matters, and policies and procedures relating to the operation of NBA games. He also serves as a key liaison between the league office and its teams, drawing upon his years of experience as a general manager, coach and player. Additionally, VanDeWeghe serves as a board member for both the NCAA’s Competition Committee and FIBA.

Before his time with the league office, VanDeWeghe spent two years with FOX Sports West as a writer and analyst covering the Los Angeles Clippers. Prior to that, he served as the general manager, and for one season the interim head coach, of the New Jersey Nets from 2007 to 2010. Before joining the Nets, VanDeWeghe was a broadcast analyst for two years with ESPN. From 2001 to 2006, VanDeWeghe served as the general manager of the Denver Nuggets.

VanDeWeghe’s NBA playing career spanned 13 years, with the Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, New York Knicks and Clippers, during which he averaged 19.7 points per game while shooting 52.5 percent from the field and 87.2 percent from the foul line, made two All-Star appearances and helped his teams to the postseason 12 times.

A native of Los Angeles, VanDeWeghe attended UCLA from 1976 to 1980 and led the Bruins to the national title game his senior season. He received his degree in economics and was a Rhodes Scholar finalist.

3/2017

As CEO of NBA Africa, Victor Williams oversees the league’s basketball and business development initiatives in Africa and is responsible for continuing to grow the popularity of basketball and the NBA across the continent through grassroots development, media distribution, corporate partnerships, and more.

Prior to joining the NBA in August 2020, Williams served for five years as the Executive Head of Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB), Africa Regions for Standard Bank Group, where he oversaw the strategy, execution and financial performance for Standard Bank’s business with corporate, sovereign and institutional investor clients in 19 countries across sub-Saharan Africa.  In this pan-continental role, Williams was responsible for growing a wide range of business lines across Africa, including global markets, investment banking and transactional products and services, and helped lead Standard Bank’s expansion into Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

Williams, a dual citizen of Sierra Leone and the U.S., holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and bachelor’s degrees in applied math and economics from Brown University.  He is a member of Harvard Business School’s Africa Advisory Board and has also served on the boards of publicly-listed companies and non-profit organizations in the U.S., Nigeria and Kenya.

8/2020