According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Indiana Pacers hired Kelly Krauskopf as their assistant general manager.
She becomes the first woman in NBA history to hold that position. At the Pacers, she will be working with the team’s basketball operations staff and helping to fill a void left by Larry Bird. This includes President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard, General Manager Chad Buchanan and assistant GM Peter Dinwiddie.
The Indiana Pacers are hiring longtime WNBA executive Kelly Krauskopf as the first female assistant general manager in NBA history, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) 17 de diciembre de 2018
Krauskopf will work with the Pacers basketball operations staff, including President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard, GM Chad Buchanan and assistant GM Peter Dinwiddie. Full story is on https://t.co/XcwLHcsHad now. https://t.co/Xw5vwUdbay
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) 17 de diciembre de 2018
Kelly started working at Indiana Fever in 1999 when the WNBA franchise was founded. While she worked for the Fever, the franchise made 13 playoffs appearance, three WNBA finals, and secured one WNBA championship in 2012.
The Pacers released a statement finalizing Krauskopf’s hiring and general manager Chad Buchanan said some words.
“Kelly has played the game, worked in the WNBA league office, helped build and run the Fever franchise from its beginning and eventually built a championship team. She is very well respected in all basketball circles and she has great knowledge of our entire operation, so when we looked at this position, it made complete sense to just look in our own building.”
Meanwhile, Krauskopf talked about her latest experience with the Indiana Fever and the learning she had during the last two decades.
“My past experience has shown me that building winning teams and elite level culture is not based on gender – it is based on people and processes. I am excited to join the Pacers as we continue building the best NBA franchise in the business.”
