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Jameer Nelson is Reportedly in the Running to Become the New Sixers’ President of Basketball Operations
By Matt Schultz
Published:
The Sixers’ search for a new President of Basketball Operations is underway, and according to Tony Jones at The Athletic, Chester’s own Jameer Nelson is a serious candidate for the job:
“Multiple league sources tell The Athletic that Nelson, among others, is a candidate to become the 76ers’ next president of basketball operations. He is Philadelphia’s strongest internal candidate, as he served this season as assistant general manager. Even if Nelson doesn’t come away with the obvious vacated spot last week when the 76ers moved on from Daryl Morey, he is a favorite to receive a promotion, league sources say.“
“Nelson was technically No. 3 in the front office this season behind Morey and Elton Brand for a Philadelphia team that won 45 games and advanced to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. But he handled more responsibility than the typical No. 3 person in the front office. Internally, respect is high for Nelson’s abilities. He is seen as a rising star in the front office world and someone who will eventually be given the opportunity to run a team…”
I gotta say, as a Saint Joe’s guy, this rules. Jameer is the man. Should go without saying that I’m pumped for him to be in the running for this gig. I’d been hearing rumblings about Jameer being a promising front office guy for a while now – he was the general manager of the Blue Coats from November 2023 until May 2025, when he got promoted to Sixers Assistant GM – but this is the splashiest story I’ve heard about it, and I think it’s great the all-time Hawk is getting some buzz:
Now, do I know for certain that he’d be the right hire for the Sixers’ President of Basketball Operations? No. He’s never run an NBA team before, so it’s impossible to say how good he’d be. There’s definitely some risk there. It’s worth pointing out, though, that Daryl Morey had plenty of experience and success as an NBA general manager before coming to Philly, and look how that turned out for us… Maybe this time, it’s worth handing the keys over to an up-and-comer like Jameer rather than someone more established – especially since Bob Myers is already here, and sounds like he’ll be pretty hands-on with whoever they hire.
As I’m talking it out, I think I’d be plenty comfortable with Jameer getting the job. There’s gotta be good reason that he’s seen as a rising star in the front office world. People don’t just throw “rising star” around willy-nilly. He must be showing good general manager flashes… The right skills… whatever those might be… Talent evaluation, probably, is a big one. Contract stuff. Second apron, knowing how all that works. Phone calls. Microsoft Excel. Knowing agents’ names. Standing desk posture…
In any case, I’d gladly bet on Jameer. Mentioned this already, but he is, obviously, the man. He’s a Philly hoops legend. He’s a winner. And, most importantly, he is a Hawk.
Now let’s all spend the rest of the afternoon watching Jameer’s Saint Joe’s highlights and pondering how him getting this job could potentially benefit SJU’s basketball program. Everything is coming together…
Matt Schultz is a comedy and sports writer from Philadelphia. He’s written extensively for ClickHole, The Onion, and Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco. His work has been featured in Vulture, Deadspin, The A.V. Club, Paste Magazine, and other publications. Much of his sports journalism can be found on college basketball websites that don’t exist anymore (PhilaHoops Heads rise up…)