Colangelo resigns as president of 76ers
Bryan Colangelo resigned Thursday as president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers in the wake of what an investigation found was “careless and in some instances reckless” share of sensitive team information.
The independent review by a law firm did not determine that Colangelo operated or was even aware of Twitter accounts that anonymously trashed some of his own players and fellow executives, and defended him against criticism from fans and the sports media.
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP said evidence supported the conclusion that Colangelo’s wife, Barbara Bottini, operated the four accounts it investigated, and she admitted to doing so — though also said she deleted contents of her iPhone with a factory reset prior to surrendering it for forensic review, limiting the investigation.
As for Colangelo, there was no evidence he knew of the accounts before a May 22 inquiry from the sports website The Ringer for a story linking him to five Twitter accounts taking aim at Philadelphia players Joel Embiid and Markelle Fultz, former Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie, Toronto Raptors executive Masai Ujiri and former Sixers players Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel.
Evidence found that Bottini established and operated four of them — Eric Jr, Still Balling, Enoughunkownsources, and HonestAbe — but it seemed some information being posted was coming from Colangelo himself.
“Our investigation revealed substantial evidence that Mr. Colangelo was the source of sensitive, nonpublic, club-related information contained in certain posts to the Twitter accounts,” the report said. “We believe that Mr. Colangelo was careless and in some instances reckless in failing to properly safeguard sensitive, nonpublic, club-related information in communications with individuals outside the 76ers organization.”
As such, the team said it had “become clear Bryan’s relationship with our team and his ability to lead the 76ers moving forward has been compromised” and it had accepted his resignation.
It’s a stunning fall for Colangelo, a former twotime Executive of the Year, who was expected to lead the improving 76ers into an important summer when they are hoping to pursue LeBron James or another National Basketball Association all-star player.
Instead that role will be led for now by coach Brett Brown. The 76ers said he would oversee basketball operations on an interim basis and that the search for a new general manager would begin immediately.
Colangelo previously served as Raptors GM, adding the 2007 Executive of the Year award to one he won two years earlier in Phoenix. He lost his job after Toronto missed the playoffs for the fifth straight season, and Ujiri took over hoops operations.