The Philadelphia 76ers made a shocking announcement that former Hall of Famer Jerry Colangelo will become the chairman of basketball operations and special advisor to managing general partner, per a press release Monday afternoon.

Colangelo is well respecting in the basketball community, currently acting as Chairman of the Board of Directors for USA Basketball. Colangelo will work with co-managing owner Josh Harris and current general manager Sam Hinkie, the man notorious with tanking, and help run the organization and evaluate talent on the court.

Not only does Colangelo work with USA Basketball, but he was a part of the Phoenix Suns organization from 1968 to 2012 and took on many roles with them, such as general manager, chief executive officer, and more.

Colangelo commented on the news during a press conference this afternoon: “I am excited and energized about the opportunity to work with Josh Harris and this ownership group in their continued efforts to build something lasting and special here with the Sixers. This is an organization with a storied history, strong and talented leadership and a number of promising pieces that have the potential for a very bright future.”  

Hinkie talked about the addition of Colangelo during the press conference, stating “It's not every day you have the opportunity to work alongside a Hall of Famer with Jerry's unique set of experiences."

"I feel incredibly fortunate to have him as part of our organization.”

Harris also touched on the Sixers’ grand plan during the press conference, by which saying the team "is still committed to the process”. “The process”, or tanking, is the strategy the Sixers have been applying over the past few years of committing to a few years of troubled times with losing records in order to acquire more draft picks and use them as assets. Some years they will draft players with the assets, others they will trade the picks for players already in the league.

Colangelo’s experience and reputation is what makes the addition exciting for many basketball fans. His past work with the Suns and current work with Team USA provides the Sixers with a new vantage point on gauging talent. His reputation also provides the Sixers with a fresh look in the eyes of players and agents, which will be helpful come the offseason. Michael Levin of LibertyBallers.com has compared this move as “the executive equivalent of trading for Paul George”, which shows how big of an impact this move will have on the team moving forward.