The Brooklyn Nets have undergone a number of significant changes over the past several months. They were sold to Joe Tsai, landed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in free agency and even painted their court gray in an effort to further distinguish themselves as the future of New York basketball. Apparently, though, not all of those changes are going to stick.
When Tsai's purchase of the team was completed on Sept. 18, he appointed David Levy as the team's new CEO -- a role that oversees all of the team's business operations. But after less than two months, Levy and the Nets mutually agreed to part ways on Tuesday. Interim CEO Oliver Weisberg released the following statement confirming that the move will not impact Brooklyn's basketball operations.
"As we enter an exciting next chapter of our organization, it's important that ownership and management are completely aligned on our go forward plan," Weisberg said in a statement. "We are proud of the culture of the Brooklyn Nets under the leadership of General Manager Sean Marks and Head Coach Kenny Atkinson, and we look forward to continue bringing the best experience to our fans."
Tsai spoke up as well, wishing Levy well with whatever comes next.
David Levy is a respected media executive and a friend. Truly appreciate his efforts in the past few months. I wish him well in his next endeavors.
— Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) November 12, 2019
It is unclear at this point what led to the split between the Nets and Levy, a former Turner executive. In such a short span of time, few things could have led to such a quick breakup. But this is hardly the first early divorce between an NBA team and an executive it had high hopes for. Current Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, for instance, spent three months as general manager of the Dallas Mavericks before the two sides parted and Rosas returned to his original post with the Houston Rockets.
At such high levels of management, executives are prone to disagreement. Levy and the Nets were, apparently, not the right fit, and now both sides will move on.
