Travis Schlenk

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.

Travis Schlenk

Key quotes from Wizards' June 8th press conference

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