Scott Perry (basketball)

Scott Perry (born November 25, 1963) is an American basketball executive and former coach. He serves as the general manager for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Perry's father, Lowell Perry, was an All-American football player at the University of Michigan in 1951. He played professionally for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1956, where he became the first African-American assistant coach in the NFL in 1957. His mother, Maxine, was a Detroit Public Schools journalism teacher who later became an attorney.

Playing career

Perry was an All-Catholic and All-State performer at University of Detroit Jesuit High school in 1981. He received a scholarship to attend the University of Oregon, where he played one season. Perry finished his collegiate playing career at Wayne State University in 1986, where he was a team captain and an honorable mention All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference performer. His team made it to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. Perry earned a bachelor's degree in business administration.

Coaching career

Perry started his coaching career in 1988 at the University of Detroit Mercy, where he spent five seasons.^[1] He went on to become an assistant coach at The University of Michigan, where he was instrumental in guiding the team to the NCAA Division I Elite Eight in 1994.^[2] Perry was the catalyst for Michigan's nationally recognized top-ranked recruiting classes in both 1994 and 1995. His final year with the Wolverines resulted in a NIT Championship. Perry completed his coaching career as the head coach at Eastern Kentucky University from 1997 to 2000.^[1]

Executive career

Perry was hired as a front office executive for the Detroit Pistons by president Joe Dumars in June 2000. As a member of their executive team, Perry assisted in building a roster that went to six Eastern Conference Finals appearances (2003-2008), two Eastern Conference Championships (2004, 2005) and the 2004 NBA championship.

Afterward, Perry served as the assistant general manager for the Seattle SuperSonics for one season (2007–08).^[3] He was part of the front office staff that drafted Kevin Durant to the Sonics/Thunder in the first round with the second overall pick. He then returned to the Pistons to become vice president of basketball operations from 2008 to 2012.^[2]

On June 25, 2012, Perry was hired by the Orlando Magic general manager Rob Hennigan to become Hennigan's vice president and assistant general manager.^[1] ESPN basketball analyst and former NBA player Chauncey Billups spoke highly of Perry as the assistant general manager of the Magic, saying, "I love Scott Perry in the front office."^[4][5]

In his time in Orlando, Perry helped draft Victor Oladipo (2013), Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton (2014), and Mario Hezonja (2015).

On April 21, 2017, Perry was hired by the Sacramento Kings as Vice President of Basketball Operations. Three months later, on July 14, 2017, Perry was hired to become the general manager of the New York Knicks.^[6] As compensation for the movement, the Knicks gave the Kings a 2019 second round pick and cash considerations, with the Kings later hiring Brandon Williams as his replacement.

References