Koby Altman

Koby Altman
Koby Altman in 2018
Cleveland Cavaliers
PositionPresident of Basketball Operations
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1982-09-16) September 16, 1982 (age 42)
Brooklyn, New York
NationalityAmerican
Career information
High schoolNew Utrecht (Brooklyn, New York)
CollegeMiddlebury (2000–2004)
Coaching career2007–2012
Career history
As coach:
2007–2009Amherst (assistant)
2009–2010Southern Illinois (assistant)
2010–2012Columbia (assistant)

Koby Altman (born September 16, 1982)[1][2] is the President of Basketball Operations of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).[3]

Early life

Altman was raised in Brooklyn, New York.[1] Altman received his bachelor's degree at Middlebury College as a Posse Foundation Scholar,[4] where he was a three-year starter at point guard for the basketball team.[5] After graduation, he went into real estate investment sales for three years.[6] He then went to the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass), earning a master's degree in sports management.[5] During that time, he was an assistant coach at nearby Amherst College.[6] After his graduation from UMass, Altman continued in college coaching for several years, first as a graduate assistant at Southern Illinois in 2009–10 and then as a full-time assistant at Columbia. He is African-American and Jewish.[7][8]

NBA executive

Altman joined the Cavaliers front office in 2012,[5] would gradually rise through the ranks, was part of the 2016 NBA Championship team as director of pro personnel, and became assistant general manager for the 2016–17 season before being promoted to GM on July 24, 2017.[9][10][11] When he was hired as the Cavaliers' GM in 2017, he was just one of four African American GMs in the league and one of the few NBA GMs who are Jewish.[12][13][14]

Cleveland Cavaliers

In his first major move as general manager, he acquired an unprotected 2018 first-round draft pick (through the Brooklyn Nets), All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, rookie center Ante Žižić, small forward Jae Crowder, and a 2020 second-round pick (through the Miami Heat) from the Boston Celtics in exchange for disgruntled star point guard Kyrie Irving.[15] In September 2017, Altman's second major move came in the signing of three-time NBA Champion and multi-time All-Star guard Dwyane Wade. In February 2018, Altman made several trades during the trade deadline which all totaled saw Thomas, Channing Frye, Crowder, Derrick Rose, Iman Shumpert, Dwyane Wade, and their 2018 first-round pick traded away. In return, the Cavaliers received Rodney Hood, George Hill, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance Jr. Notable draft picks for the Cavaliers under Altman include the 2018 8th pick, Collin Sexton, the 2019 5th pick, Darius Garland, the 2020 5th pick, Isaac Okoro, and the 2021 3rd pick, Evan Mobley.

Awards and honors

  • 2016 NBA champion (as a member of the Cavaliers front office)

References

  1. ^ a b Brown, Garry (July 29, 2017). "Graduate of UMass Sport Management Department new general manager of Cleveland Cavs". The Republican. Springfield, Massachusetts. Retrieved August 22, 2017. That would be Koby Altman, 34, who signed on Monday as new general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
  2. ^ "Birth reference results for Koby Altman". FamilySearch.org. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  3. ^ "Cavs sign GM Altman to long-term extension". ESPN. 2019-11-01. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  4. ^ "From Midd to Cleveland, Koby Altman '05 Rises to GM of Cavs".
  5. ^ a b c "Koby Altman Named Cavaliers General Manager" (Press release). Cleveland Cavaliers. July 24, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Men's Basketball Coaching Staff: Koby Altman". Columbia Lions. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  7. ^ Foundation, The Posse (1 January 2024). "New Cleveland Cavaliers general manager makes…". The Posse Foundation.
  8. ^ "Cavs to introduce Jewish GM Koby Altman today". 26 July 2017.
  9. ^ "Cavaliers hire Koby Altman to serve as new general manager". nydailynews.com. 24 July 2017.
  10. ^ "Cavaliers officially name Koby Altman general manager". usatoday.com.
  11. ^ "Koby Altman to be named Cavaliers general manager". cleveland.com. 22 July 2017.
  12. ^ Jacob, Bob (July 26, 2017). "Cavs to introduce Jewish GM Koby Altman today". Cleveland Jewish News. Cleveland, Ohio. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  13. ^ McMenamin, Dave (January 2, 2018). "Koby Altman got his dream job -- and all the challenges it comes with". ESPN.com. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  14. ^ "Koby Altman: Isaac Okoro 'right fit', 'checked a lot of boxes' for Cavs". www.radio.com. 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  15. ^ "Celtics Acquire Four-Time All-Star Kyrie Irving". NBA.com. August 22, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.