Trae Young Named Assistant GM For Oklahoma’s Basketball Program

Hawks star guard Trae Young announced on ESPN’s NBA Today (video link) that he has accepted the position of assistant GM for the Oklahoma Sooners basketball program, as Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution relays. Concurrently, Young announced that he would donate $1MM to the program to aid efforts to put together a championship team.

Young only played one year of college ball for the Sooners during the 2017/18 season but made a huge impact. He averaged 27.4 points and 8.7 assists per game, leading all Division I players in both categories that season. He then declared for the NBA draft and was selected fifth overall, which traded him and a future first-rounder to Atlanta for Luka Doncic.

He’ll now be involved in his former college program in a much different capacity.

“It’s exciting to be a part of this and being from Norman and playing there, obviously, it’s exciting times and I’m looking forward to being in this new role,” he said during his ESPN appearance.

The school issued a press release confirming Young’s administrative position and donation. According to the announcement, Young will “lend support in OU player personnel and strategic roster management planning, and will serve a critical role in helping build student-athletes’ brands and maximizing their potential.”

Young’s responsibilities will include assisting with the evaluation of high school and transfer portal prospects, as well as helping negotiate player contracts in accordance with NCAA and conference rules and the team’s revenue share budget. He will also assist with university fundraising initiatives to help grow support for OU’s men’s basketball program.

“This is a really big day and incredibly exciting,” Sooners head coach Porter Moser said. “First, just a huge thank-you to Trae for the $1 million gift to our program. What an unbelievably gracious offering. It will be put to effective use as we continue on our path toward sustained high-level success. We are extraordinarily grateful for the generous contribution.

“Second, Trae’s addition as assistant general manager is going to pay significant dividends for our program on multiple levels. He is a basketball junkie in so many ways,” Moser added. “He’s obviously one of the biggest and most recognizable on-court talents in the world, so he brings immediate credibility with younger players. But I can tell you that Trae also pays close attention to the national basketball landscape and is dialed in to all levels of the sport. His knowledge, coupled with his desire for our program to be the best it can be, will absolutely move us forward.”

Young is the second high-profile active NBA player to take a similar role at his former college. Stephen Curry was named the assistant GM for Davidson’s basketball programs three weeks ago.

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