Orlando Magic announce John Hammond as general manager
ORLANDO MAGIC PRESS RELEASE
ORLANDO -- The Orlando Magic have named John Hammond general manager, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced Tuesday.
Hammond brings more than 35 years of coaching and administrative experience to Orlando, including the last nine seasons (2008-17) as general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks. During Hammond’s 26 years in the NBA, his teams have made 15 postseason appearances. Weltman served as assistant general manager under Hammond for five seasons (2008-13) and also worked with him in Detroit (2007-08).
"John (Hammond) brings tremendous experience and is a great talent evaluator," said Weltman. "He has experience in everything from day-to-day operations to player development. He built a great team in Milwaukee, and won a championship while in Detroit. We are very fortunate to have him as part of the Magic family."
"We are very excited to join Jeff (Weltman) and be a part of the team in Orlando,” said Hammond. “The Magic are a first-class organization all the way around and we look forward to this tremendous opportunity. I want to thank the ownership in Milwaukee, Wes Edens, Marc Lasry and Jamie Dinan, for their support and I certainly wish them well.”
Hammond was named general manager of Milwaukee on April 11, 2008 and promptly generated an eight-win improvement in his first season and another 12 during his second, earning the 2009-10 NBA Executive of the Year Award.
Prior to joining the Bucks, Hammond spent seven seasons as vice president of basketball operations with the Detroit Pistons, where he was responsible for directing day-to-day operations of the basketball operations department, handling player personnel issues and assisting in roster development. During his time with Detroit, the Pistons were 330-158 (.676), reached the Eastern Conference Finals six consecutive times (2003-08), made two straight trips to the NBA Finals (2004-05) and captured the NBA World Championship in 2004. In addition to his time as vice president of basketball operations, Hammond also served as director of player personnel, scouting director and assistant coach in two stints with the Pistons.
Hammond began his NBA career in 1989 as an assistant coach and scout with the Minnesota Timberwolves. From there, he joined Larry Brown’s staff with the Los Angeles Clippers, where they advanced to the playoffs in 1992 and 1993. Hammond had a second stint with the Clippers in 2000-01, joining Alvin Gentry’s staff as lead assistant. That team saw a 16-game improvement and Hammond was noted as a key in developing first-year players Darius Miles, Keyon Dooling and Quentin Richardson.
Prior to his NBA career, Hammond spent six seasons at Southwest Missouri State, where he helped lead the school to three consecutive NCAA Tournament berths (1986-88) and a trip to the NIT in 1985. He also spent two seasons at Houston Baptist (1981-83), two seasons at Nebraska (1979-81) and three seasons at the high school level in Nebraska.
A native of Zion, Ill., Hammond graduated from Greenville College in Illinois, where he earned two letters in basketball and served as a student assistant coach. He and his wife, Marsha, have a daughter, Lauryn.
ABOUT THE ORLANDO MAGIC
Orlando's NBA franchise since 1989, the Magic's mission is to be world champions on and off the court, delivering legendary moments every step of the way. The Magic have seen great success in a relatively short history, winning five division championships (1995, 1996, 2008, 2009, 2010) with seven 50-plus win seasons and capturing the Eastern Conference title in 1995 and 2009. Off the court, on an annual basis, the Orlando Magic gives more than $2 million to the local community by way of sponsorships of events, donated tickets, autographed merchandise and grants. Orlando Magic community relations programs impact an estimated 100,000 kids each year, while a Magic staff-wide initiative provides more than 7,000 volunteer hours annually. In addition, the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation (OMYF) which serves at-risk youth, has distributed more than $22 million to local nonprofit community organizations over the last 27 years. The Magic’s other entities include the team’s newly acquired NBA Development League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic, which begins play in the 2017-18 season in nearby Lakeland, Fla.; the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL, which serves as the affiliate to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL and the Toronto Marlies of the AHL; and will compete in the inaugural season of the NBA 2K esports league in 2018. Ticket highlights for the Magic's 2017-18 season in the Amway Center, honored with TheStadiumBusiness Awards’ 2013 Customer Experience Award and named SportsBusiness Journal's 2012 Sports Facility of the Year, include: 2,500 seats priced $20 or less, 8,000 seats priced $40 or less and 9,000 seats priced $50 or under. For ticket information log on to OrlandoMagic.com or call 407-89-MAGIC.