Joe Dumars left his job as executive vice president and head of basketball operations with the NBA to become the de facto GM and decision maker in New Orleans. It’s only fitting that a GM is going to take his place.
James Jones is leaving the Phoenix Suns to officially become the Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations for the NBA, the league and the Suns announced.
“I’m thrilled and honored to take on the responsibility of leading the Basketball Operations department,” Jones said in a statement. “This is an exciting opportunity to pour my passion for the game into a new role and collaborate with so many talented professionals on driving the continued success and growth of the NBA.”
What does the head of basketball operations for the league do? His most public-facing part of the job is handing out fines and suspensions to players — he is the league’s new disciplinarian. Beyond that, the league described his job as engaging “with players, coaches, team executives and referees on the state of the game, style of play and playing rules issues. In collaboration with key internal and external stakeholders, Jones will develop innovative strategies and solutions that sustain the highest level of play and competition.”
“James is widely respected across the NBA for being an inspiring leader and the consummate teammate during his more than 20 years as a highly successful player and team executive,” the NBA’s president of league operations, Byron Spruell — Jones’s new boss — said in a statement. “With his exceptional relationship-building skills and deep basketball expertise, he is well suited to guide our efforts to shape the current and future direction of the NBA game.”
Jones had been the sole GM of the Suns since 2019, although since Mat Ishbia purchased the team he reportedly has had a heavy hand in player and personnel decisions. This summer, Ishbia replaced Jones with Brian Gregory, with the official line being that Jones was becoming a senior advisor for the Suns. With that, Jones decided to get a new job.
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