Warriors hire agent Myers as assistant GM
Prominent NBA player agent Bob Myers has agreed to become the assistant general manager of the Golden State Warriors as part of the new franchise owners’ plan to groom him to take over the front office, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Warriors GM Larry Riley will receive a contract extension to stay, but sources told Y! Sports that owner Joe Lacob offered Myers the job with an understanding he’ll eventually ascend to the top of basketball operations.
The San Jose Mercury News first reported the hiring was close to completion.
Myers, 35, will leave Wasserman Media Group, where he had risen quickly under powerful agent Arn Tellem to represent such players as Brandon Roy(notes), Brook Lopez(notes) and Kendrick Perkins(notes). An East Bay native, Myers played for the UCLA Bruins’ 1995 national championship team and is well respected within the agent and front office community for his basketball acumen, negotiating talents and ability to connect with people.
“A great hire,” one Western Conference GM told Y! Sports on Wednesday night.
Myers has discussed his move with his clients, sources said, and all have remained committed to staying with Tellem and Wasserman Media Group. Agent Greg Lawrence has partnered with Myers on multiple clients and is expected to work with Tellem to take over the top players that Myers leaves behind. Tellem is considered the sport’s most powerful and influential agent, and he’s always had a great affection for his protégé, Myers. That relationship could ultimately pay dividends for Myers as he works to procure talent and rebuild the Warriors.
Wasserman Media Group and Tellem represent several NBA stars, including Derrick Rose(notes), Pau Gasol(notes), Russell Westbrook(notes) and LaMarcus Aldridge(notes).
The Warriors are the third Western Conference team to recently hire an agent to work in their basketball operations department. The Phoenix Suns hired agent Lon Babby to run their organization in July, but he didn’t come with as strong a basketball pedigree as Myers. The Sacramento Kings hired agent Jason Levien as a front office executive in 2008, but GM Geoff Petrie was threatened over his presence and eventually helped force him out in 2010.
