The Phoenix Suns today announced they have named Morgan Cato as Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations.
“We’re excited to welcome Morgan to the Valley and to the Suns organization” said General Manager James Jones. “With the league office Morgan played a pivotal role on countless initiatives to grow the game and strategically develop for it to be played at its best. The addition of her background and knowledge will allow us to elevate our basketball operations in several areas.”
In her position, Cato will report to Jones and work with Head Coach Monty Williams to lead the team’s strategy and business processes for basketball growth and performance with a focus on coaching development, player engagement and front office personnel operations. Cato becomes the first woman of color to hold the Assistant General Manager title for an NBA team.
Cato joins the Suns after spending the last decade with the NBA league office, most recently as Associate Vice President of Business Operations for NBA League Operations. Working directly with Byron Spruell, the President of League Operations, she was a key member of the management team focused on strategic basketball initiatives for the growth of the game. This included coaching and officiating development, basketball talent pipeline and related programs, the launch of the Basketball Africa League, advocacy for women and people of color in basketball operations and actively liaised with NBA teams on overall operational and engagement needs. Her previous experiences focused on professional talent development in the consulting, investment banking and non-profit industries.
A graduate of Stony Brook University, and Harvard Business School’s Executive track, Cato is a native of Brooklyn, New York.
– Suns.com –