Bryan Colangelo resigned Thursday as Sixers president of basketball operations and general manager for what he called in a statement “a seriously misguided effort” by his wife, Barbara Bottini, to “publicly defend and support” him via anonymous Twitter accounts. Those accounts, as detailed by Ben Detrick for The Ringer, also shared confidential information, criticized colleagues, knocked current and former Sixers players, and defended Colangelo’s shirt collars.
The Curious Case of Bryan Colangelo and the Secret Twitter Account
What does a collection of Twitter accounts that has criticized Philadelphia 76ers players, disclosed sensitive information, and outlined strategy have to do with the team’s president?
The Ringer NBA Show: The Colangelo Twitter Story With Ben Detrick
Detrick joins Chris Ryan on The Ringer NBA Show to discuss our investigation.
Droves of Sixers fans called for Colangelo’s firing in the wake of The Ringer’s report last week. But the sense around the league was that the Sixers, coming off a breakthrough 2017-18 season, felt they were in a good place. Ownership could’ve kept Colangelo and tried to withstand the firestorm in the name of maintaining continuity in the front office with only weeks to go until the biggest offseason in franchise history. Colangelo obviously played a central role in the team’s summer preparations, so removing him from the equation now could’ve been viewed as a blow to the team’s infrastructure. Instead, the Sixers parted ways with Colangelo and installed head coach Brett Brown to oversee the front office until ownership finds a new general manager. Brown’s presence will allow the organization to have some sense of normalcy during a critical time, at least until it finds a new leader.
Marc Eversley, the Sixers’ vice president of player personnel, and Ned Cohen, their associate VP and chief of staff, are two internal candidates that could draw consideration for the role of GM, though the expectation is that ownership will take a long, hard look at external candidates. League sources identified Celtics assistant general manager Mike Zarren as a top candidate. Zarren previously interviewed for the position in 2013, but turned down an offer before Sam Hinkie was hired, according to the Boston Herald. Ex-Cavaliers general manager David Griffin is also expected to be interviewed, which should come as no shock considering his former working relationship with LeBron James, whom the Sixers are expected to pursue this summer. Another name that’s been floated is Kiki VanDeWeghe, who currently serves as the NBA’s executive VP of basketball operations and was previously a player, coach, and general manager. Philadelphia’s list will likely grow, as its strong young core led by Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons and cap flexibility to make significant acquisitions over the coming offseasons make the Sixers GM position one of the best jobs in the league.
Sam Hinkie was the starter of the Process. Colangelo came in for relief. The next general manager will be the closer. But Hinkie never should’ve been pulled from the game. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported in 2015 that NBA owners lobbied commissioner Adam Silver to influence the direction of the Sixers because of an “economic drag” the team’s tanking was having on the league. Silver introduced Sixers owner Josh Harris to Jerry Colangelo, who was soon hired as an adviser—his deal runs through this year, Harris said during Thursday’s press conference—and whose son was eventually hired to have a significant role in the front office. Hinkie left, a manifesto was written (then leaked), and the rest is history.
It’s unknown whether Silver aided the hiring of the Colangelo family in Philadelphia, but Bryan Colangelo’s ousting, following a regular season in which more teams tanked than maybe ever, is nonetheless a cruel irony for the NBA as a whole.
But even with the Sixers coming off their best regular season in almost two decades, the views expressed in the Twitter accounts that Colangelo’s wife admitted to being behind would’ve made it tough for the team to maintain its upward trajectory. Colangelo contended in his statement that, “The content she shared was filled with inaccuracies and conjecture which in no way represent my own views or opinions.” An alleged failed physical by Jahlil Okafor is one of the inaccuracies, according to multiple league sources. But whether the tweets were truths, half-truths, or falsehoods, Colangelo’s relationship with the players was irreconcilable as a result, according to multiple league sources. As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said after the news first broke last week, the comments consistently align with beefs, jealousies, and frustrations shared inside and outside the Sixers organization. It’d be one thing had the accounts bashed just Hinkie and Process truthers. But they also took aim at several prominent current and former Sixers players, including Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, Markelle Fultz, and Embiid. Even if they were his wife’s tweets, distancing himself from them would have been difficult. Relationships with players currently on the team, like Embiid, and those they’d like to add, like LeBron, require mutual trust.
The human element is often overlooked in sports business. Personnel decisions made by teams affect families. In this case, lives will be impacted by the fallout of this decision. Once a new GM is hired by the Sixers, jobs within the organization could be lost. As Colangelo wrote in his statement, basketball has been a core part of his life since childhood, and it’s a painful time for his family. The world will keep turning. Sixers fans will keep processing. Basketballs will keep bouncing. But the odds are that Colangelo will not work again in the NBA because of his damaged reputation. This is something the family will have to live with forever.
But the Sixers had to put business first because they are in position to build something truly special this summer. And, putting aside the ruckus brought about by the anonymous accounts, Colangelo’s tenure was quite forgettable: His best decision was to keep Brown as head coach, and the addition of Ringer podcaster J.J. Redick was savvy. But he botched solving the Noel-Okafor frontcourt logjam, hasn’t made any other notable signings or non-lottery draft picks, and dealt the draft pick used on Jayson Tatum and a future first from the Kings to the Celtics to trade up to no. 1 for Fultz. It was a decision praised at the time, but after Fultz struggled in his workout with the Sixers last June, league sources say some Sixers front-office members suggested that despite making the trade, the team should have taken a second look at Tatum or Lonzo Ball. But the idea was shot down by Colangelo, according to sources. Fultz was the choice. There was no turning back.
The new GM must be better. In the meantime, Brown will lead the way as they pursue LeBron James and use the six picks they have in this year’s draft, including the no. 10 pick. The Sixers have made remarkable progress, but the process won’t stop until they reach their intended goal of competing for championships. There is still much more work to be done.