Before taking office as the NBA's new commissioner, Adam Silver has to appoint a successor to his old position. On Tuesday, the Vice President of global marketing partnerships has been tabbed as the new deputy commissioner. Tatum will instantly become the most powerful African-American executive in the NBA.
The perks of being the deputy are the same as being the backup quarterback though. Everybody loves the deputy commissioner. Because he's only seven years younger than Silver however, there's no guarantee he'll stick around long enough to succeed Silver one day. In 2006, Russ Granik, Stern's first deputy retired in 2006 after 22 years as the good cop to Stern's bad cop.
In the meantime, as the globalization of the game takes its next step, a man with Tatum's experience by Silver's side will come in handy.
Via USA Today:
He has been instrumental in the game's global growth but has also been involved in collective bargaining, TV deals and partnerships with major sponsors. He has been on the NBA's senior management team for about 10 years and also works closely with USA Basketball executives on the organizations marketing and sales.
Tatum, 44, is a coveted executive. The United States Olympic Committee and the revamped Big East were interested in hiring Tatum. Prior to the NBA, Tatum worked for Major League Baseball, Pepsi-Cola and Proctor & Gamble, according to his bio on nba.com.
