The Philadelphia 76ers can finally close the book on the Bryan Colangelo scandal, as the team has promoted Elton Brand to the vacant general manager position. Brand, who has been in the Sixers front office since 2016, most recently served as vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the Sixers' G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.
Sixers coach Brett Brown has been operating as general manager since Colangelo resigned in early June amid a Twitter scandal involving burner accounts allegedly run by his wife. The Sixers reportedly considered several internal and external candidates before settling on Brand.
While Brand will have the title of general manager, he will not have the power to make final decisions. Instead, he will collaborate with the rest of the front office, including Brown. Via the Associated Press:
"I'm going to rely on my team," Brand said. "Not just on the court, but the off-the-court team. I can't keep saying it enough. In my opinion, we are one of the top groups in the NBA."
Brand was introduced Thursday at the Sixers complex as the new GM, and it was made clear the two-time All-Star will not yield the power to make the final decisions, but rather work in concert with coach Brett Brown and the rest of the front office.
As a player, Brand was a two-time All-Star in a 17-year NBA career with the Bulls, Clippers, Sixers, Mavericks and Hawks. He holds career averages of 15.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and played five seasons in Philadelphia, including his final run in 2015-16.
