The 76ers announced Friday the promotion of Chester native son Jameer Nelson to the position of general manager of the Delaware Blue Coats, their NBA G League affiliate in Wilmington.
Nelson had been an assistant GM of the Blue Coats for the past three years, which also carried with it some scouting duties for the big club. During that time, the Blue Coats made three consecutive trips to the G League Finals. They won the G League title earlier this year.
“Jameer has approached his front office and scouting roles with the same tenacity that he approached the game during his playing careerSixers president Daryl Morey said in a statement. “He is a great talent evaluator who is well-respected by players, agents, coaches and executives alike, suiting him for success as the next general manager of the Blue Coats.”
A star at Chester High in the late 1990s, Nelson ultimately led the Clippers to the 2000 PIAA Class AAAA championship. He went on to a four-year varsity career at Saint Joseph’s under Phil Martelli, starting with a freshman of the year award in 2001 and moving up from there. He was the point guard of a Hawks team that eventually became the No. 1 team in the nation in 2004, getting to 27-0 before being felled by Xavier in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, then a crushing defeat in the Elite Eight of the NCAA’s on a last-second three-pointer by John Lucas III as the Hawks were about to make the Final Four.
That didn’t deter Nelson from earning multiple national postseason awards, getting drafted 20th overall by the Denver Nuggets, then being traded to the Orlando Magic. But in his rookie season in Orlando, he earned second-team all-rookie honors, then became a starting point guard in his second season and a team leader. He would be in Orlando 10 years before bouncing to Dallas, Boston, Denver, New Orleans and finally Detroit before calling it a career in 2018.
Just more than two years later, he joined the Blue Coats to start his management career. Nelson succeeds his former boss, Sixers executive Prosper Karangwa, who was the GM when Delaware won its first G League title last year. Karangwa is still in the Sixers’ front office.
Nelson’s son Jameer Nelson Jr. was a second-team All-Delco player at The Haverford School and is now at TCU as a graduate transfer after splitting his collegiate career between George Washington and Delaware.
The Blue Coats also announced the team’s coaching staff for the upcoming 2023-24 season. Mike Longabardi will be in his first year as Delaware’s head coach, with assistants Ryan Ayers, JP Clark and God Shammgod Jr.
Source: Berkshire mont
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