The Indiana Pacers made history on Monday when they announced that they hired Kelly Krauskopf to be the team’s assistant general manager. Krauskopf is the first female assistant GM in league history and brings a strong WNBA background to the organization, where she’ll serve under GM Kevin Pritchard.
The Pacers have already had Krauskopf in the organization working with the team’s Esports NBA 2K team, but adding her as an assistant GM is a groundbreaking move that shows just how much talent NBA teams are adding from the WNBA. As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski notes, Krauskopf is just the latest WNBA executive to join an NBA team.
A growing number of women have landed front-office roles in the NBA, including Becky Bonner (Orlando), Amanda Green (Oklahoma City), Teresa Resch (Toronto), Michelle Leftwich (Atlanta), Ariana Andonian (Houston) and Natalie Jay (Brooklyn).
Krauskopf built a WNBA championship franchise from the Fever’s expansion season in 2003. Indiana won the 2013 WNBA title, and advanced to three Finals appearances since 2009. Previously, she had been the WNBA’s first director of operations, beginning in 1996. She was a college basketball star at Texas A&M in the 1980s.
Krauskopf’s time with the Fever made her very familiar with the Pacers organization, which raved about its new hire on Monday.
“As the architect of one of the WNBA’s most successful franchises, Kelly is a true pioneer in our sport,” Pacers owner Herb Simon said in a statement. “I’ve worked with Kelly over the past two decades, so I know her tremendous basketball mind, strong work ethic and proven leadership skills will continue to be of great benefit to our organization.”
The players seem pretty excited about her new role as well.
New #Pacers PR rep introduces new Assistant General Manager Kelly Krauskropf @WISH_TV pic.twitter.com/PtWSi5X3LB
— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) December 17, 2018
Krauskopf will leave the Fever and the team’s Esports teams behind as she joins her new role with the Pacers.
“I have admired the work that Kevin and his staff have put forth so far and I am honored to be a part of an elite and historical franchise,” Krauskopf added in a statement. “The chance to work in an NBA front office for a first-class organization filled with great people I know and in a city that has become my home is extraordinary.”
