By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Denver Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas will move to the Chicago Bulls as the new executive vice president of basketball operations, per ESPN. He was indeed included among the candidates for the job, as previously reported.
Working his way up the NBA ranks at an impressive rate, the 48-year-old Lithuanian will replace John Paxson, who is expected to remain in the organization under a revised role. After finalizing his multiyear contract, he will be tasked with hiring a new general manager and reshaping the front office.
Karnisovas was the Nuggets general manager since 2017 and the assistant GM between 2013 and 2017. Previously aided the Houston Rockets as their international scout from 2008 to 2013 and worked for the NBA basketball operations office from 2003 to 2008.
Prevailed over the rest of the candidates for the top executive spot of the Bulls after a lengthy virtual interview with chief operating officer Michael Reinsdorf, who afterward introduced him to his father and owner, Jerry. No easy task ahead, but past success on and off the court may be a sign for better days in Chicago.
His professional career ranged from 1987 to 2002 in Europe after an NCAA run with Seton Hall. Accolades include domestic championships in Italy and Spain, playing for European powerhouses like Barcelona and Olympiacos, two bronze Olympic medals, and a silver EuroBasket medal with Lithuania being named the FIBA European Player of the Year in 1996.
Moving forward, he made a name for himself in the NBA with strong draft picks. Nikola Jokic headlines his list that also includes Jusuf Nurkic, Jamal Murray, and Gary Harris, among others. Apart from evaluating talent, he proved methodical in trades as well, evolving the Nuggets into contenders.
A decorated European player turning into a successful front office executive is no common sight in the NBA or anywhere else in the basketball world. Karnisovas extending from making hoops to efficient managing abilities proves it’s possible.
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