Bob Myers, the president and general manager of the Golden State Warriors, has announced his decision to step down from his position after 12 years with the franchise. A two-time executive of the year and 4x NBA Champion, Myers cited various factors beyond money as contributing to his departure. Although unsure of his future professional pathway, Myers is expected to be highly sought after should he decide to return to a front office role in the future.
Sources indicate that Myers was offered several contract extensions which would have made him one of the highest paid executives in the association. However the 48 year old turned them down, citing simply that “It’s just time” for him to move on.
During his tenure with the Warriors, Myers, a Bay Area native and former player at UCLA, built an impressive résumé and developed strong relationships with key members of the team. According to reports Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and coach Steve Kerr were all informed of his decision prior to it becoming public knowledge.
With Myers leaving, Warriors owner Joe Lacob is expected to give more prominent roles to his son, Kirk, and VP of basketball operations Mike Dunleavy Jr. The Warriors face a challenging crossroads with a payroll and luxury tax that could reach a historic $500 million in the upcoming season, necessitating difficult decisions regarding the future of players like Green and Thompson, both of whom are hoping for lucrative contract extensions.
Under Myers’ leadership, the Warriors reached the NBA Finals six times in his 11 seasons as GM, winning four championships before their recent loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. Notably, Myers played a pivotal role in recruiting Kevin Durant, who joined the team as a free agent in 2016 and won two titles before suffering an Achilles injury in the 2019 NBA Finals.
“The bottom line is, this job, the one I’m in … requires complete engagement, a complete effort, a thousand percent, and if you can’t do it, then you shouldn’t do it,” Myers told reporters. “So that’s the answer to the question of why. I can’t do that to our players. I can’t do that to Joe and Peter. Really, I can’t do it to myself. And that’s the question I’ve been wrestling with.”
Myers, who initially joined the Warriors as an assistant GM in 2011 before being promoted to GM in 2012, was highly regarded for his leadership, talent evaluation skills, and widespread respect across the industry. Following his announcement, Lacob expressed his surprise at Myers’ decision but emphasized his desire for Myers’ happiness.
Regarding the future of the organization, Lacob didn’t provide specific plans for Myers’ successor but mentioned the possibility of promoting from within.
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