Thursday, 21 November 2024

Wayne Embry

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Contributors 2024
Embed from Getty Images
Sport(s): Basketball Executive
Statistics: 2 The Sporting News Executive of the Year Awards (1992 & 1998)
2 NBA Championships (1971 & 2019)
Member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

*1 NBA Championship (1968)
*5 NBA All-Star Games (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 & 1965)
*Member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame
*Number retired by the University of Miami of Ohio

*As a player
Wayne Embry was a five-time All-Star with the Cincinnati Royals and NBA Champion with Boston, and his skills at Miami of Ohio earned him a spot in the College Basketball Hall of Fame. That is an impressive career, but as his career finished as a player with the Milwaukee Bucks, he would slowly become one of the top executives in the NBA.

Embry was a member of the Bucks’ front office when they won the NBA Championship in 1971, and he would shortly become their general manager, making him the first African-American to obtain that position in the NBA. Embry did his best to keep Milwaukee competitive, but their best player, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, wanted to be traded to a city that fit his cultural needs, forcing Embry to trade him.

Embry was their general manager until 1979, and in 1986, he became the general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Under Embry’s guidance, the Cavaliers put forth some competitive teams, and Embry was rewarded by The Sporting News as their Executive of the Year twice. Embry was their general manager until 1999.

In 2006, Embry was the interim general manager for two months for the Toronto Raptors, and he remains there as an advisor. He would win his second championship in this role when Toronto won it all in 2019.

We are proud to nominate Wayne Embry for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.

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