3:20pm: According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter), retired general Martin Dempsey is on course to replace Colangelo as USA Basketball’s new chairman. Dempsey recently served as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
While Dempsey may seem on the surface to be an odd choice, he wouldn’t be responsible for picking players or coaches, but rather with running USA Basketball as a business enterprise, Wojnarowski explains (via Twitter). Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post adds (via Twitter) that Dempsey is a “massive” basketball fan.
2:17pm: Jerry Colangelo will step down from his position as USA Basketball Chairman, opting not to seek a third term in the position, according to a press release issued today by USA Basketball. While Colangelo will continue to serve as Managing Director for the Men’s National Team, USA Basketball will elect a new chairman at its annual Board of Directors meeting on November 14.
Colangelo’s transition into a lesser role within USA Basketball coincides with the changes being made to the coaching staff for Team USA. Gregg Popovich is set to take over for Mike Krzyzewski as the head coach for the Men’s National Team from 2017 to 2020. During that time, Colangelo will focus on building the player pool for Team USA.
“Given the coaching change and the challenge of assembling a group of players for FIBA’s new competition schedule, this is a good time to devote my full attention to the Men’s National Team,” Colangelo said in a statement. “As Chairman of USA Basketball, I’m proud of what our teams at all levels have accomplished and how our players have embraced the responsibility of representing their country. I look forward to working with the next Chairman to ensure that we continue to honor and build on USA Basketball’s rich tradition.”
The Men’s National Team has won three consecutive Olympic gold medals since Colangelo assumed the role of USA Basketball chairman.