Economou Named EVP and CMO of Bobcats SE

Greg Economou, NBA Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications, has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Bobcats Sports & Entertainment, effective September 25. In his new role, Economou will return home to the Charlotte community and oversee all facets of marketing and sales for the Charlotte Bobcats, Charlotte Sting and Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

Economou, who since April has directed the league’s marketing and communications efforts, will transfer his talents and expertise to help grow the franchise’s business as well as the NBA brand at the local level. He will report to new Bobcats Sports & Entertainment President and COO Fred Whitfield.

"We are excited to welcome Greg back to Charlotte and to add him to our executive team. Greg is one of the leading branding experts and marketers in the sports industry, plus he has great relationships and strong passion for Charlotte," said Whitfield. "Greg's experience and background helping dozens of sports franchises build brands and achieve success will be valuable as we continue to get closer to Bobcats fans throughout the Carolinas. We look forward to rolling up our sleeves and getting to work."

Economou’s responsibilities with Bobcats Sports & Entertainment will include the oversight of the organization’s branding, marketing and advertising efforts; public relations and communications activities; game presentation; community relations; merchandising; ticket sales and service; and corporate partnership sales and service.

“The Bobcats, Sting and Charlotte Bobcats Arena will benefit greatly from Greg’s extensive experience in marketing and branding as well as his passion for our game,” said NBA Commissioner David Stern. “He demonstrated to us a complete understanding of all the marketing and communications issues surrounding our game, and we are delighted that his talents will be utilized on behalf of the Bobcats.”

Economou, who has been a Bobcats season ticket holder since the team’s inception, said, "This is an opportunity of a lifetime. The Bobcats are an exciting, up-and-coming team, and Charlotte is where my family and I call home. I am delighted to be staying in the NBA family and look forward to helping the Bobcats organization achieve the kind of success I know is possible. We have a strong ownership group, talented administration and staff, state-of-the-art facility, and a city that is thriving -- and one that has proven time and time again to love the game of basketball. It seems to be the perfect recipe for success."

Economou, 41, has over 16 years of team, league and sponsorship marketing experience. Prior to joining the NBA league office, he was the Managing Director & CEO of BRANDTHINK, a management consulting firm specializing in sports marketing and management strategy development. Economou was responsible for helping sports properties – including the Houston Rockets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Thrashers, Philips Arena, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. – develop their brand positioning, sponsorship marketing and consumer segmentation programs.

A 1988 graduate of the University of Connecticut with a dual degree in Communications and History, Economou was a member of the 1988 NIT Championship team. He also played professionally in Europe. He is married to the former Betsy Given. They have three sons.