John Thompson III

Luke Askew

The Washington Wizards held a press conference at District E in downtown D.C. on Thursday, June 8 featuring Ted Leonsis (Monumental Sports and Entertainment Founder and CEO), Michael Winger (President of Monumental Basketball), and Will Dawkins (Wizards General Manager).

Wes Unseld Jr. (Wizards head coach), Travis Schlenk (Senior Vice President of Player Personnel), and John Thompson III (Senior Vice President of Monumental Basketball) were also available to the media after the press conference.

"I was very, very interested in a fresh start and moving forward. Starting with a leader, who then would be able to attract a great group of executives to help us to build the team that can legitimately, honestly, authentically say that it has upside, that it's competitive, that the fans fall in love with and that we could have championship aspirations." -Ted Leonsis

"I spent a lot of time with [Michael Winger], and we synced in our belief that you have to do all the little things right. You have to do all the big things right. And it's going to take time... I really believed in Michael's vision on how to build an organization that's really built to last. I think that's very, very important that you can't have flash-in-the-pan, overnight success. That this will take a long time. And because of that, I wanted a next-generation leadership team. I think that it's their time. This is a very, very young, aggressive, smart, new NBA-oriented team. It starts at the top, and Michael has my full support." -Ted Leonsis

"There's a lot of things that attracted me to the job. The first one was Ted. And I think that his vision for the organization, piggybacking what he said particularly as it relates to the other organizations where he's shown that patience, his willingness to resource the team, I think the Wizards have an extraordinarily bright future if it's appropriately managed. And I think that Ted has put together the appropriate folks to get that job done." -Michael Winger

"I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge how excited I am to raise my kids in D.C." -Michael Winger

"I was with Will [Dawkins] in Oklahoma City from 2010 to 2017, and there were a lot of impressive folks in Oklahoma City... Will sort of stood out to me as a combination of extraordinary talent, passion for the game, an intellectual curiosity, a work ethic, and I just thought if there was ever a time in my future where I was lucky enough to be in a position to hire folks, Will would be one of the guys that I just want to work with him... He's a pusher. He's a star." -Michael Winger

"There's been a lot of emotions of the last week... the one that I continuously come back to is just excitement and gratitude to be joining an organization like this, to be part of the Washington Wizards. It's a special franchise in a basketball city with loyal fans. That's really, really exciting... I'm ready to roll up the sleeves and get going." -Will Dawkins

"People know Michael [Winger] as the sharp, smart, very talented, process-drive, hardworking, connector of people. That's all true, but the person he is, the friend he is, the father he is, that's what attracts me to coming to the shop." -Will Dawkins

"The eventual expectation is that we're gonna build a generational contender. We're eventually gonna have a team that is competing for championships. I can't promise when that'll be, but there's no excuse for the lone NBA team in Washington, D.C. not to be a perennial contender or at least be pursuing championships, so that's the goal. The goal is to pursue championships by any means necessary." -Michael Winger

"I've encouraged Michael [Winger] and the group to take some time and assess what we have. Get to know the organization, the players, the city, and then develop a plan. And we should work off of a strategic plan. Tell me the resources that are needed, and I'm committed to give them what they need to build their vision and execute the way they want." -Ted Leonsis

"There's a lot of talent on the team. There's a lot of talent in the front office. I think right now, what we have to study closely is how things fit together. How the various, different puzzle pieces fit. And what the roster ought to look like on a going-forward basis. But there's a lot of good here. This isn't a situation where we're starting from zero. We're starting from something significantly north of zero because of the talent, because of the character, because of the folks in the organization." -Michael Winger

"For me, it's more about the person than it really is the player. You gotta make sure you're bringing in the right people and they're about the right things. Whether that's competitiveness, effort, willingness to be unselfish... There will be characteristics that we'll look for on the court for sure, but it starts with the person. And that'll be the vetting process. We'll find out and create what a Wizards player is and we'll go after those types of players." -Will Dawkins

"Players will look different over the course of time. Staff will look different over the course of time. The thread that will bind everybody is they have to love what they do. They have to love to play basketball. They have to love to coach basketball. They have to love to be around basketball. If they love it, they're gonna work at it. And there's just going to be an endless improvement until the day they retire from whatever profession they're in. Every Wizards player, every Wizards coach, every Wizards staff member is gonna absolutely love hoop and be a tireless worker." -Michael Winger

"I think it's probably unorthodox in so far as Will [Dawkins] and I are going to collaborate on every meaningful roster decision, every meaningful top-level executive decision, but there shouldn't be a mistake: Will is running basketball operations for the Wizards. And whatever that day-to-day management requires, whatever decisions that requires, those are Will's decisions to make. Corporate decisions, higher-level player personnel decisions, I'm certainly going to be involved. There's gonna be a team of us involved. Coach [John] Thompson is involved. Travis [Schlenk] is involved. Wes [Unseld Jr.] will be involved. Will, myself, others... We're going to be a very collaborative group." -Michael Winger

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Top Quotes: Ted Leonsis, Michael Winger, Will Dawkins

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Key quotes from Wizards' June 8th press conference

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Michael Winger Appoints Trio of Experienced Leaders to Steer Monumental Basketball&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

WASHINGTON, D.C. –&nbsp;Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger announced his updated executive leadership team for Monumental Basketball today, naming Will Dawkins as Wizards general manager and Travis Schlenk as Wizards senior vice president of player personnel and promoting John Thompson III to senior vice president of Monumental Basketball.

“We are very encouraged with the progress we’ve made in a short period of time in re-imagining our front office structure, putting together an experienced group of deep-thinking leaders who understand how to build a high-performing organization,” said Winger.&nbsp; “Will, Travis and John all have radically different life and professional experiences, which will help us grow and change as we continue to add talent to our team.”&nbsp;

Dawkins will be charged with immersing himself in the day-to-day operations of the Wizards, managing basketball operations and overseeing the Capital City Go-Go. Schlenk will oversee all Wizards player personnel evaluation, including managing the scouting staff.&nbsp; Thompson’s elevated role will be focused on exploring and implementing best practices for the Wizards, Mystics and Go-Go while ensuring accountability for excellence across the organization.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Dawkins joins the Wizards after spending the last 15 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder where he held a variety of positions throughout the organization.&nbsp; He elevated all the way from front office intern, video coordinator and scouting coordinator to director of college player personnel, vice president of identification and intelligence, and his most recent position of vice president of basketball operations that he has held for the last three seasons. During his time with the Thunder, Dawkins had influence on all facets of the operation, assisting with roster and staff development while also developing long and short-term strategic planning for the organization that included player evaluations and acquisitions. The Emerson College alum was part of a Thunder front office that helped assemble teams that contributed to the second-best winning percentages in the NBA from 2010 to 2020, with a Finals appearance in 2012 and four appearances in the Western Conference Finals.

“Over the course of my career I’ve committed myself to doing everything I could, step-by-step, to help build a successful NBA organization, and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to now help lead a proud franchise like the Washington Wizards,” said Dawkins.&nbsp; “I want to thank Mr. Leonsis and Michael for the opportunity to be part of a group that shares the same core values for developing a team that I believe in, values that fans in an incredible basketball city like D.C. can rally behind.”

Schlenk brings 25 seasons of NBA experience to the Wizards, including the last six seasons with the Atlanta Hawks.&nbsp; He began his time in Atlanta as the team’s general manager and head of basketball operations in 2017 before being promoted to president of basketball operations prior to the 2019-20 season.&nbsp; The following year, the Hawks reached the Eastern Conference Finals with a roster comprised of draft picks made during his tenure complemented by veteran players he acquired via trade and free agency.&nbsp; Prior to his time at the Hawks, Schlenk spent 13 seasons with the Golden State Warriors, including the final six as assistant general manager where he assisted in the management of all day-to-day basketball operations activities and helped guide the Warriors to three consecutive NBA Finals and two NBA championships (2015 and 2017).&nbsp; He joined the Warriors after working as a video coordinator with the Miami Heat and director of basketball operations at the University of Georgia and began his career with the Orlando Magic.&nbsp;

“I’ve enjoyed doing business with Michael throughout our different stops in the NBA, and having the opportunity to now work alongside him to restore a winning environment with the Wizards is a special opportunity,” said Schlenk.&nbsp; “We are all ready to collaborate on the best ways to begin and sustain that process, and we’re excited to have a great starting point ahead of us with the upcoming draft.”

Thompson has spent the last four seasons as Monumental Basketball’s vice president of player development and engagement. He has a vast array of basketball experience, most notably his 13 years (2004-2017) as head coach at iconic Georgetown University. Thompson achieved several coaching milestones at the helm of the Hoyas, including an NCAA Final Four appearance, two NCAA Sweet-16 appearances, three Big East regular season championships and one Big East tournament championship. In his four years as head coach at Princeton, Thompson won three Ivy League championships. Overall, he owns a stellar 346-193 (.641) all-time record and was named Big East Coach of the Year (2013), NABC Coach of the Year (2007) and was a two-time recipient of the Black Coaches Association (BCA) Male Coach of the Year. Following his tenure at Georgetown, he served as an assistant coach for the USA Men’s National Team where he supported Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy as the team qualified for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

“I have had the benefit of spending the last four seasons working with all three teams under Monumental Basketball and I’m looking forward to being able to share that experience as we constantly improve and expand our operations,” said Thompson.&nbsp; “There is much potential for growth across the board in our organization and we collectively are taking great pride and responsibility in putting us on the right track to achieve our goals.”

Dawkins will join Leonsis and Winger for an introductory press conference today at 12 p.m. at District E.&nbsp; Schlenk, Thompson and Wizards Head Coach Wes Unseld Jr. (along with Leonsis, Winger and Dawkins) will be available to media following the on-stage portion of the press conference.&nbsp;

The press conference will be aired live in its entirety by NBC Sports Washington, will be streamed live on the Wizards digital channels (YouTube, Twitter and Facebook) and air live on The Team 980 and 106.7 The Fan on the Audacy network.

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Dawkins, Schlenk Named to Wizards Executive Team; Thompson Promoted to SVP of Monumental Basketball 

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Bradley Beal, Natasha Cloud, and John Thompson III at "Together We Stand" - 6/19/20

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Photos: MSE, Wizards partner with KaBOOM! to build playground - 9/27/19

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Photos: Monumental Basketball Meet & Greet - 7/24/19

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Photos: Monumental Basketball Introductory Press Conference

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John Thompson III Introduction

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman and CEO of Monumental Sports &amp; Entertainment Ted Leonsis announced the leadership team for Monumental Basketball, a newly-formed collective that includes the Washington Wizards, Washington Mystics, Capital City Go-Go and Wizards District Gaming.  Tommy Sheppard will serve as general manager of the Wizards, Sashi Brown will serve as chief planning and operations officer for Monumental Basketball and Daniel Medina will serve as chief of athlete care &amp; performance for Monumental Basketball.

“We have formed a new leadership team with a forward-thinking structure to adapt to the ‘new NBA’ that requires every possible strategic advantage to compete and win,” said Leonsis.  “We are building a leadership brain trust with deep Wizards/NBA experience and with sports professionals from inside and outside the NBA to challenge our thinking and adapt to an ever-increasing competitive environment.”

Sheppard will lead strategy, analytics, player personnel, scouting and coaching for the Wizards, Go-Go and District Gaming while Brown and Medina will lead teams providing shared services to all Monumental Basketball franchises. Brown will manage efforts relating to technology, finance, communications, security, research and player engagement and Medina will head up medical, training, mental health, strength and conditioning, nutrition and physical therapy/recovery.  Mike Thibault will continue to lead all basketball activities for the Mystics as head coach/general manager while Pops Mensah-Bonsu will continue as general manager for the Go-Go, reporting to Sheppard.

As part of the new organizational structure, Leonsis also announced a new athlete development &amp; engagement department which will be led by former Georgetown and Princeton Head Coach John Thompson III.  Thompson will use his vast experience to lead a team that will focus on maximizing player potential both on and off the court for all Monumental Basketball athletes.  Employing a holistic development approach, the department will focus on financial literacy, post-playing career opportunities and the overall empowerment and development of the athletes.

In addition to Sheppard’s promotion and the addition of Brown, Medina and Thompson, Leonsis also announced two promotions of current staff.  Sashia Jones, who previously served as vice president of community relations, was promoted to vice president of player engagement and will work with Thompson to provide services to players for all teams.  Brett Greenberg, who previously served as vice president of basketball analytics/salary cap management, was promoted to assistant general manager for strategy and analytics.

Entering his 25th year of service in the NBA and his 17th with the Wizards organization, Sheppard has earned a reputation as one of the league’s most innovative and creative executives.  While with the Wizards, his responsibilities have included salary cap management, negotiations, draft preparation, talent evaluation of collegiate athletes and professionals both domestically and abroad, recruitment and evaluation of free agents, statistical evaluation, the hiring of coaches and personnel, and monitoring the Wizards’ efforts in the NBA’s Player Programs.

He has also organized the Wizards’ training camp and preseason schedules, overseen the athletic training, strength training, video, technology and equipment areas for the team and directed in-arena renovations to areas including the Wizards' locker room, players' lounge, family lounge and front offices.

Sheppard served as the Nuggets’ Senior Director of Team Services and Player Relations before his arrival in Washington. With Denver, he oversaw all internal and external communications functions and scouted international, high school, collegiate and minor league talent.

An active figure within the United States Olympic Movement for over a decade, Sheppard worked as a press attaché for the three Summer Olympic Games (1996, 2000, 2004), as well as three Olympic Festivals and the 2003 Pan American Games. He assisted with the formation of the Northern European Basketball League (which realigned as part of FIBA Europe) and also serves on the Industry Advisory Council for the American Public University and the American Military University Systems.

A graduate of Harvard Law and Hampton University, Brown is a seasoned NFL executive who has served within both football and business operations.

In 2016, Brown was promoted to executive vice president of football operations for the Cleveland Browns, where he was responsible for developing the organization’s short and long-term visions and strategies in collaboration with the ownership group.  He also oversaw Cleveland’s scouting functions and management of the roster and salary cap.

Brown was originally hired by Cleveland in 2013 as executive vice president and general counsel, where he served the franchise in both football and business capacities.  He was responsible for overseeing the roster and salary cap while also directing the team’s football administration functions, including negotiation of players contracts. On the business side, his duties included insurance and risk management, licensing and intellectual property issues and litigation management.

Brown started his career as an attorney at Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale and Dorr in Washington, DC, where he represented clients in a variety of transactions including venture capital and private equity deals as well as mergers and acquisitions.  He joined the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2005 where he served as senior vice president and general counsel, working on both the football and business side of the franchise’s operations.

Daniel Medina comes to Washington having spent the last two seasons as the vice president of athlete care for the Philadelphia 76ers. In his role with the 76ers, Dr. Medina oversaw all areas of athlete care and performance, including the medical and sports science departments, as well as the athletic training, physiotherapy, nutrition and strength and conditioning departments.

Prior to Philadelphia, Dr. Medina spent over a decade with Fútbol Club Barcelona. Dr. Medina finished his tenure with the team as deputy director of the sports science and medical department, where he managed 2,000 athletes and more than 125 athlete care and performance staff members.

Dr. Medina served as team physician for FC Barcelona from 2008-2015 and first joined its medical services department in 2005. He also served as a driving force behind FC Barcelona’s award-winning Barca Innovation Hub. Dr. Medina was heavily involved in Barca Innovation Hub’s evaluation and research of emerging products, particularly those designed to aid in athlete health and performance.

Dr. Medina boasts an extensive résumé in athlete care and sports performance. In addition to earning a PhD from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Medical School in Spain, Dr. Medina holds master’s degrees from the University of Barcelona (Evaluative Medicine) and University Pablo Olavide (Fútbol Conditioning and Rehab). He also graduated from the International Olympic Committee’s sports nutrition program and participated in continuing health care education programs at Harvard Business School.

John Thompson III brings a vast array of experience to Monumental Basketball, including 13 years (2004-2017) as head coach at iconic Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

Thompson arrived at Georgetown with a unique pedigree as the son of one Hall of Fame coach and the student of another, having played basketball for the legendary coach Pete Carril as an undergraduate at Princeton University.  He achieved several coaching milestones, including an NCAA Final Four appearance, two NCAA Sweet-16 appearances, three Big East regular season championships and one Big East tournament championship. In his four years as head coach at Princeton, Thompson won three Ivy League championships. Overall, he owns a stellar 346-193 (.641) all-time record and was named Big East Coach of the Year (2013), NABC Coach of the Year (2007) and was a two-time recipient of the Black Coaches Association (BCA) Male Coach of the Year.

Following his tenure at Georgetown, Thompson continued his path as a stalwart in basketball, serving as an analyst for ESPN and an assistant coach for the USA Men’s National Team (where he assisted head coach Jeff Van Gundy as the team qualified for the 2019 FIBA World Cup). He also served on the Commission on College Basketball (established by the NCAA Board of Governors, Division I Board of Directors and the NCAA president and chaired by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to fully examine critical aspects of Division I men’s basketball) and was the recipient of the 2019 Guardians of the Game Award for Service, presented by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).

Off the court, Thompson has been an active member of his community. His greatest contribution was establishing the John Thompson III Foundation in 2007 to create a positive and lasting impact on the city he cherishes, Washington, DC.  He currently he serves on the boards of his alma mater, Gonzaga College High School, the NABC and the non-profit, Men Against Breast Cancer.

Entering her 18th season in the Washington Wizards organization, Sashia Jones has established the organization as a pillar of philanthropy in the DC metropolitan community.

Under her leadership as vice president of community relations, the team has established signature events such as Salute to the Stars, Family to Family, the Special Olympics Unified game and the Thanksgiving Day Assist which have all been recognized as best practices in the NBA.

Jones has also implemented programs and initiatives for Wizards All-Stars John Wall and Bradley Beal that have led to each winning the NBA’s Community Assist Season-long award.  This award is given to an NBA player who best reflects the passion that the league and its players share for giving back to their communities.  In addition to established community events, Jones has partnered the organization with  numerous social and charitable organizations throughout the DC metropolitan area, including Make-a-Wish which helps fulfill the wishes of children experiencing health challenges, and Bright Beginnings Inc., which assists children experiencing homelessness with opportunities to receive educational assistance and special experiences during every holiday season.

A native of Silver Spring, Maryland, Jones earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Bowie State University.

Brett Greenberg is in his 10th season with the Wizards, recently completing his third as vice president of basketball analytics/salary cap management. In his role, Greenberg leads the Wizards’ analytical efforts while assisting with all salary cap and Collective Bargaining Agreement matters.

Prior to his promotion, Greenberg served as basketball operations assistant/video coordinator for the team for two seasons, where he played a vital role in the coaching staff’s preparation by providing video breakdowns of opposing teams and individual players as well as video analysis of the individual strengths and weaknesses of Wizards players. He served as basketball operations assistant/technology during his first two seasons with the organization.

Greenberg came to Washington after spending the 2008-09 season in the basketball operations department for the Miami Heat as a video intern. Prior to working for the Heat, he served as a student manager and assistant video coordinator for four years for the Duke men’s basketball team from 2004-08. Greenberg graduated from Duke University in 2008 with a degree in Sociology.

A native of Owings Mills, Maryland, Greenberg graduated from McDonogh School in 2004. While in high school, he worked for the men’s basketball team at Stevenson University (formerly Villa Julie College) for two seasons.