New Hawks co-owner Bryan Colangelo is a two-time NBA Executive of the Year, however he is most known for his role in one of the more bizarre stories in recent NBA history.
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The Philadelphia 76ers general manager was in the perfect position, having inherited the role deep in the controversial rebuild led by Sam Hinkie.
With Hinkie out, Colangelo was meant to be the man to lead the team through the final stages of 'The Process' and on to NBA glory.
That all came crashing down in May of 2018 when The Ringer published a detailed expose outlining how the veteran manager had used burner Twitter accounts to detail sensitive information and criticise the team's players, including star big Joel Embiid.
He was out of a job less than two weeks later.
On Wednesday he was named a co-owner at the rebranded Hawks, one of a consortium of local and international parties to purchase the franchise. Colangelo was joined by fellow co-owners Dorry Kordahi and Michael Proctor.
While the 55-year-old has become known for that infamous affair, Colangelo had a highly successful career leading up to that point.
During a 15-year tenure in Phoenix, Colangelo drafted Shawn Marion and Amar'e Stoudemire. He was also the architect of fast-paced Steve Nash-led offence, trading for the Canadian in 2004.
Nash led the side to the No.1 seed in the Western Conference the following season, winning the first of back-to-back MVP's in the process, while Colangelo was named NBA Executive of the Year.
The American won his second Executive of the Year award in 2007 after turning the Toronto Raptors into a playoff team, the side finishing atop the Atlantic Division for the first time.
While Colangelo will provide much of the basketball nous, he won't be the only party with deep roots to the sport in the new ownership group.
Kordahi currently sits on the NBL's advisory board and was previously a co-owner of the Sydney Kings. He has also worked as a player agent.
The former BRW Young Rich Lister is a successful entrepreneur, establishing and running corporate merchandise company DKM Blue.
The final member of the new consortium is American businessman Michael Proctor.
A Cornell graduate, Proctor played college basketball during his time at the university in the 1980s.
The hotel and restaurant owner has a lower profile than his business partners, however he has long-standing links to the American high school and college basketball systems.
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Cameron Mee
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
