Monday wasn’t just another day at the office for Jameer Nelson.
Speaking to reporters for the first time since his elevation to Sixers executive vice president of basketball operations, Nelson thought back to how he got there.
“It’s actually a surreal moment,” he said from the lobby of the Sixers’ training complex in Camden, New Jersey. “Six years ago when I started, I had no idea where this journey would take me. Credit to the organization for believing in me — Daryl (Morey) and (Elton Brand) as well, pushing me to do more, get better at my job and just allowing me to grow.
“I’ve always been a 76ers fan. I’ve always wanted to play for the organization. To do it for the home team gives me goosebumps, to be honest with you.”
There’s now only one person above Nelson in the Sixers’ basketball operations department in president Mike Gansey.
He wanted to team up with Nelson, a Chester native, Saint Joseph’s legend and longtime NBA point guard.
“I’m obviously very, very excited to have Jameer as my No. 2,” Gansey said. “That was kind of a sticking point, talking to (Sixers managing partner Josh Harris) and Bob (Myers, president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment). He was someone I really wanted throughout the process. Jameer’s very, very well-respected throughout the league.”
Nelson played his final professional game in 2018. He interviewed for the St. Joe’s head coaching job in 2019 (Billy Lange was hired), served as an in-studio college basketball analyst for CBS Sports Network, and considered his next steps.
Brand pitched him on the front office route and Nelson started in 2020 with a duel role as Sixers scout and Delaware Blue Coats assistant general manager.
“I’m going to be honest with you,” Nelson said, “I thought I was going to be a coach. But when you’re working in the front office, you get to coach in your own way. Starting as a scout and in the G League, being able to run a team in the minor leagues, it’s important. It was important for shaping me into the executive I am now. Collaborating with coaches and players, I quench my thirst for coaching there.”
Once Nelson got rolling with the Sixers, he enjoyed the work and earned promotions.
The location was meaningful, too.
“In the past I’ve had opportunities other places,” Nelson said. “I wanted to be part of the solution here. The thing that matters most to me here is I’m home. My family is here. I’m a Sixers fan. My favorite basketball player of all time is Charles Barkley, and (Allen) Iverson and Kobe (Bryant) — people that played in this area. I feel like there are possibilities to help this organization move forward.”
With the Gansey era underway and many major roster decisions to come— the NBA draft, team options, free agency, potential trades — Nelson knows his voice will matter.
“Just being able to learn and grow is the main focal point this year,” he said. “I think Gansey said it up there: You don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. You don’t have to be ready, but you have to be prepared.
“I look at it like that. Just be prepared for everything, figure things out and help make the right decisions.”
| # | Наименование новости | Тональность | Информативность | Дата публикации |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Report: Jameer Nelson, Matt Lloyd among candidates to lead Sixers' front office | 0 | 6 | 21-05-2026 |
| 2 | Gansey makes it clear Sixers' front office will value the intangibles | 5 | 6 | 08-06-2026 |
| 3 | Sixers hiring Mike Gansey as new president of basketball operations | 0 | 5 | 29-05-2026 |
| 4 | Diving into Mike Gansey's history, path to leading Sixers' front office | 0 | 6 | 30-05-2026 |
| 5 | Report: Mike Gansey and Nick U'Ren ‘names to watch' in Sixers' search | 0 | 5 | 19-05-2026 |
| 6 | Myers says Sixers must ‘find an identity' under new front office regime | 0 | 5 | 09-06-2026 |
| 7 | 6 things we learned from Bob Myers and Josh Harris' Sixers press conference | 0 | 5 | 14-05-2026 |
| 8 | Final mock draft roundup for Sixers with 22nd pick | 0 | 5 | 23-06-2026 |
| 9 | NBA mock draft roundup: Recent projections for Sixers at No. 22 with draft nearing | 0 | 5 | 17-06-2026 |
| 10 | Maxey selected to All-NBA 3rd Team for 2025-26 season | 0 | 7 | 24-05-2026 |
