It’s the beginning of a new era for the Orlando Magic.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, they just promoted Anthony Parker to General Manager, with former GM John Hammond deciding to transition into a senior advisory role.
ESPN story on the Orlando Magic promoting Anthony Parker to GM — with John Hammond deciding to transition into senior advisory role https://t.co/a3KwE08MfX
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 5, 2023
Parker was serving as the team’s assistant GM, and he’ll now work directly under the president of basketball operations, Jeff Weltman.
He comes with vast experience in the basketball scene, not only being known — obviously — for his playing days in the NBA and EuroLeague, but also serving as a scout and G League executive before getting this role.
As a matter of fact, multiple teams have reportedly been after Parker for a GM role over the years, yet he’s stayed loyal to the Magic for 11 years now.
In the same string of moves, the Magic promoted associate GM Pete D’Alessandro to Executive VP of Basketball Operations, according to Woj’s report.
The 68-year-old Hammond has been in the league for 32 years as both an assistant coach and executive, serving as the Magic’s GM since 2017 and orchestrating their promising rebuild.
He’s been looking to transition to a different role for years now, mentoring and preparing Parker for when his time eventually came.
Notably, he’ll give them some continuity as they keep on adding talent to their already-promising roster.
The Magic were one of the biggest winners of the NBA Draft and showed glimpses of untapped potential last season, and it’ll be nice to see how far they can get once their up-and-coming roster gets a chance to mesh together.
NEXT: The Magic Add A Notable Veteran In Free Agency
