Zachary Kleiman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zach Kleiman
Memphis Grizzlies
PositionGM and EVP of Basketball Operations
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born1988
Chicago, Illinois
NationalityAmerican
Career information
CollegeDuke Law & University of Southern California

Zach Kleiman is the General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Memphis Grizzlies.[1][2]

In 2020, Kleiman finished in 6th place for the Executive of the Year Award.[3]

Early life & career[]

Kleiman, born in 1988, was raised in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago as a Chicago Bulls enthusiast.

Kleiman attended the University of Southern California majoring in Psychology from 2006-2010. During this time, he served as a public relations intern for the Los Angeles Lakers.

In 2013, Kleiman earned his J.D. from Duke University School of Law.[4]

During the 2012-13 season, Kleiman was a basketball operations intern for the Charlotte Bobcats under GM Rich Cho.

Memphis Grizzlies[]

In 2015, Kleiman was an associate at Proskauer Rose when he accepted a position as team counsel of the Memphis Grizzlies.[5]

Kleiman was promoted to Senior Director of Basketball Operations before the 2017-18 season.

Before the 2018-19 season, Kleiman was promoted to assistant General Manager under GM Chris Wallace.

Kleiman was named the EVP of Basketball Operations for the Memphis Grizzlies on April 11, 2019.[6] This change in organizational structure makes Kleiman the Grizzlies’s primary decision-maker in the front office.[7] Immediately, Kleiman aggressively made seven trades - including Mike Conley to Utah and Marc Gasol to Toronto - to rebuild the roster, collect draft picks and free up cap space.[8][9][10] Kleiman emphasized that the team is “not going to be sacrificing the long-term future for short-term gains.”[11]

In Dec 2020, Kleiman said “We have this group now that we think is genuinely special (and) it’s on me, it’s on us to continue to grow this group, to continue to build...The North Star continues to be competing to win championships over time. ”[12]

In a 2021 post-NBA trade deadline news conference, Kleiman applauded the improvement of Ja Morant during his second season in the league. Kleiman said, "One thing I would definitely call out is Ja Morant’s growth as a leader...Something that oftentimes gets overlooked in the NBA is just accountability. I think Ja’s self-accountability and self-awareness, calling himself out—‘I need to be better tonight’—Ja sees that and holds himself accountable to such a high standard. That’s a winning mentality."[13] Kleiman also shared that Jaren Jackson Jr. would be available to play before May 2021, and the team "can't wait to have him back out there".[14][15]

On June 2021, Kleiman was signed to long-term extension. Owner Robert Pera said “Zach has proven to be a strong cultural leader in this organization, consistently demonstrating high-integrity, hard-work, humility and a drive for continuous improvement...We have confidence in our strategy and believe it will result in an elite organization over the long-term.”[16]

References[]

  1. ^ "Zachary Kleiman, Memphis Grizzlies, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations & General Manager - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  2. ^ Sain, Anthony. "One Year Later, Zach Kleiman Has The Memphis Grizzlies Exceeding All Expectations". Sports Illustrated Memphis Grizzles News, Analysis and More. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  3. ^ "Lawrence Frank wins 2019-20 NBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award". www.nba.com. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  4. ^ II, Omari Sankofa. "Getting to know Zach Kleiman and Jason Wexler and what their plans are for the Grizzlies". The Athletic. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  5. ^ "Zachary Z. Kleiman - General Manager & EVP, Basketball Operations at Memphis Grizzlies". THE ORG. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  6. ^ "Memphis Grizzlies announce restructuring of basketball operations department". Memphis Grizzlies. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  7. ^ Frank, Jackson (2020-11-30). "The Memphis Grizzlies Are Maximizing Their Rebuild With Draft Gems". UPROXX. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  8. ^ http://www.washingtontimes.com, The Washington Times. "Revamped and youthful Memphis Grizzlies ready to get to work". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  9. ^ Brooks, Garrett (2021-03-16). "NBA Daily: The Memphis Grizzlies' Incredible Rebuild | Basketball Insiders | NBA Rumors And Basketball News". www.basketballinsiders.com. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  10. ^ http://www.washingtontimes.com, The Washington Times. "Surprising Grizzlies ahead of team's rebuilding schedule". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  11. ^ Giannotto, Mark. "Zach Kleiman is the 30-year-old prodigy who will determine the Memphis Grizzlies future". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  12. ^ "MikeCheck: Kleiman, Jenkins building championship culture as Grizzlies fortify foundation for new season". Memphis Grizzlies. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  13. ^ "Grizzlies Executive V.P. Zach Kleiman provides update on Jaren Jackson Jr". localmemphis.com. 27 March 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  14. ^ "Memphis Grizzlies: 5 areas of improvement upon Jaren Jackson Jr.'s return". Beale Street Bears. 2021-03-30. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  15. ^ "Grizzlies' Jackson (knee) due back by end of April". ESPN.com. 2021-03-26. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  16. ^ "Grizzlies Sign Zach Kleiman to Long-Term Extension".
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