Nets part ways with CEO after fewer than two months on the job
The top executive of the Brooklyn Nets is abruptly exiting, though the team said in a statement Tuesday that his exit was mutually agreed upon.
Nets CEO David Levy is out and will be replaced by J Tsai Sports CEO Oliver Weisberg as the team’s interim CEO.
“I want to thank David for his collaboration over the past several months and wish him well in his future endeavors,” Weisberg said in the statement. “As we enter an exciting next chapter of our organization, it’s important that ownership and management are completely aligned on our go forward plan. We are proud of the culture of the Brooklyn Nets under the leadership of General Manager Sean Marks and Head Coach Kenny Atkinson, and we look forward to continue bringing the best experience to our fans.”
Levy’s departure is eyebrow-raising given that he had been on the job for less than two months, being hired in mid-September after Alibaba co-founder Joseph Tsai officially bought the team.
Tsai was nothing but complimentary toward the former president of Turner Broadcasting in a tweet confirming the move.
David Levy is a respected media executive and a friend. Truly appreciate his efforts in the past few months. I wish him well in his next endeavors.
— Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) November 12, 2019
Levy’s tenure wasn’t without its turbulence, though it’s hard to directly tie any of the problems to him. The Nets were among the teams visiting China for an exhibition match when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey posted his pro-Hong Kong tweet, leading the team to cancel media availability on the trip and Tsai to release a widely scrutinized statement critical of Morey.
There’s also the matter of the team struggling to a 4-5 start, but, again, that’s hardly attributable to Levy. There was a report of Nets officials being concerned about Kyrie Irving’s mood swings, but Levy was in charge of much more than just the team’s basketball operations.
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