Bryan Colangelo resigns from 76ers amid social media scandal
The Philadelphia 76ers accepted the resignation of team president and general manager Bryan Colangelo amid concerns about the longtime NBA executive's "detrimental impact" on the organization in light of a social media scandal involving several anonymous Twitter accounts, the team announced Thursday.
Sixers head coach Brett Brown will oversee the team's basketball operations until a full-time replacement is chosen.
Colangelo became a central figure in the Twitter scandal last week when a report from The Ringer's Ben Detrick linked five anonymous accounts to someone with intimate knowledge of the Sixers' front-office operations. Posts from the accounts ranged from defenses of Colangelo's actions as team president, to criticism of his professional counterparts, predecessors, and past and present Sixers players, to more unsettling disclosures, including confidential information detailing players' medical records and the Sixers' draft strategy.
The team contracted law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP to carry out an independent investigation. It concluded that although Colangelo himself wasn't believed to be the author of the incriminating tweets, his wife, Barbara Bottini, admitted to operating the accounts. The investigation couldn't determine whether Colangelo was aware of the accounts prior to an inquiry by Detrick on May 22.
The law firm stated its belief that "Mr. Colangelo was careless and in some instances reckless in failing to properly safeguard sensitive, non-public, club-related information in communications with individuals outside the 76ers organization."
Colangelo was a two-time recipient of the NBA Executive of the Year award, winning the honor with the Phoenix Suns in 2005 and the Toronto Raptors in 2007.
Hired by the Sixers in April 2016, he inherited a roster shaped by the controversial decision-making of former GM Sam Hinkie. Dubbed "The Process," Hinkie's tenure was marked by long-term losing in an effort to amass a collection of elite talent through high draft picks.
With several key offseason additions made under Colangelo's watch, such as the signing of J.J. Redick, and the products of years of high draft selections coming to fruition, the Sixers posted a 52-30 record in 2017-18 and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2011-12.
It's unclear whether Colangelo's father, current Sixers special adviser and former Suns owner Jerry Colangelo, will remain a part of the organization in light of his son's resignation.