Monumental Basketball

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The top quotes from the introductory press conference for Michael Winger and Will Dawkins.

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Top Quotes: Ted Leonsis, Michael Winger, Will Dawkins

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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 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Monumental Sports & Entertainment Founder and CEO Ted Leonsis announced today that Michael Winger has been named president of Monumental Basketball. 

“Michael’s vast experience and broad range of executive-level skills will provide stability, accountability and leadership for all of our basketball franchises,” said Leonsis.&nbsp;&nbsp;“His influence on helping to restore and sustain excellence at three different teams aligns with our goal of building championship contenders while his collaborative approach supports our shared services structure.”

Winger, who will report directly to Leonsis, will oversee all aspects of operations for the Washington Wizards, Washington Mystics and the Capital City Go-Go.

“I am honored to lead Monumental Basketball, with all three teams standing as proud representations of a unique and powerful region that has shown loyalty and patience throughout various levels of success,” said Winger.&nbsp;&nbsp;“There is much work to do, but I am confident we can build our programs on sustainable principles that will underscore all of our decisions, re-establishing the prestige and status that we can celebrate with our deserving fans.”

Winger and Leonsis will immediately begin a search for a lead executive for the Wizards.&nbsp;&nbsp;That position will also oversee the Go-Go and report directly to Winger along with Mystics General Manager Mike Thibault and the administrative, communications, athlete care & performance and strategy & research departments that service all three teams.

Winger has 18 seasons of experience as an NBA executive, working with teams that have collectively appeared in two NBA Finals and seven Conference Finals while amassing a .633 (912-528) regular season winning percentage during his respective tenures.&nbsp;&nbsp;He has spent the last six seasons as the general manager of the Los Angeles Clippers, helping lead the team to a 272-200 (.576) overall record and a trip to the 2021 Western Conference Finals.&nbsp;&nbsp;As general manager, Winger worked closely with President Lawrence Frank on all day-to-day basketball functions.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was responsible for developing the majority of operational and roster planning, helped build out departments by identifying and acquiring staff, developed systems to support the players and oversaw all transactional processes.&nbsp;&nbsp;Winger also assisted in the design of the team’s new training center that is set to open in 2024.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Prior to his time with the Clippers, Winger worked as an assistant general manager and team counsel for the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2010-11 to 2017-18.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Thunder appeared in the 2012 NBA Finals and reached the Western Conference Finals four times during his tenure.&nbsp;&nbsp;He began his NBA career as team counsel and director of basketball operations with the Cleveland Cavaliers.&nbsp;&nbsp;During his five seasons (2005-10), the Cavs appeared in the 2007 NBA Finals and reached the Eastern Conference Finals twice.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Michael Winger named President of Monumental Basketball

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WASHINGTON, DC – The Washington Wizards announced today that Mark Simpson has been named vice president of player performance for Monumental Basketball.

“Mark brings over 25 years of sports science experience to Monumental Basketball,” said Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard.  “His vast global knowledge will be a great asset for us as we expand and strengthen our athlete care and player performance across all of our teams.”

Simpson comes to Washington after spending the last three seasons as director of performance for the Los Angeles Clippers.  In Los Angeles, Simpson oversaw the team’s player load management strategies, including the production of individualized off-season, pre-season, and in-season load-management plans that incorporated game minute management, practice and workout recommendations.  Prior to working for the Clippers, Simpson spent five seasons as the director of performance science with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“We are very happy to have Mark join Monumental Basketball, as he is world class sport scientist with global and NBA experience,” said Chief of Athlete Care and Performance for Monumental Basketball Daniel Medina. “His talent, original ideas and team-oriented thinking will create positive synergy give our athletes another resource to achieve the best version of themselves.”

Before coming to the NBA, Simpson held positions in Olympic and professional sports in England, including posts as head of strength and conditioning for the Great Britain Cycling Team and head of strength and conditioning for the English Institute of Sport.

A native of West Yorkshire, England, Simpson holds a master’s and a bachelor’s degree in sport science from Loughborough University in England.

Monumental Basketball

Top Quotes: Ted Leonsis, Michael Winger, Will Dawkins

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

Michael Winger named President of Monumental Basketball

Simpson named VP of player performance for Monumental Basketball