Bucks hire longtime NBA executive Rod Thorn as special consultant
The Milwaukee Bucks have added a well-respected decision-maker to their front office.
The team announced Monday the hiring of Rod Thorn as a special consultant. Thorn, the winner of the 2001-02 NBA Executive of the Year award, most recently served as the league's president of basketball operations.
"Rod Thorn is an extremely respected and accomplished NBA executive at both the league and team levels," Bucks owner Wes Edens said. "He will serve as a terrific resource to our ownership group, as well as John and Jason, as we build our organization into a championship contender. We're thrilled to add a person of his caliber, with his basketball knowledge and expertise, to the Bucks family."
Thorn was an NBA general manager for three teams -- the Chicago Bulls, New Jersey Nets and Philadelphia 76ers. Among the highlights of his tenure as a personnel man were drafting Michael Jordan to the Bulls in 1984 and trading for Jason Kidd (now the Bucks coach) to build the Nets into back-to-back Eastern Conference champions (2002, 2003).
"The Bucks have a young, talented team with huge potential and are in the process of building a world-class organization," said Thorn. "I'm very pleased to work with a visionary ownership group, a terrific young coach in Jason Kidd and an outstanding and well-respected general manager in John Hammond. This is a great time to join the Bucks family, and I'm very excited to be part of it."
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said of Milwaukee's hire: "Rod's knowledge of the NBA is unparalleled. He's done it all throughout his more than 50 years in the league, and I'm thrilled for both him and the Bucks that he will be joining their organization."
Bucks general manager John Hammond added, "I've had the pleasure to know and work with Rod throughout my entire NBA career. Rod is one of the best in our business, and I'm looking forward to working with him as we continue to build toward a championship."
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