Gary Pritchard and Larry Bird Final Press Conferences of the Season…
Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird conducted a press conference at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday, May 1 at 11:00 AM ET, following his resignation earlier on Monday morning.
Following Bird’s media appearance, recently elevated President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard spoke to the rooms and took questions regarding his new position.
The Indiana Pacers announced on Monday that Kevin Pritchard, the team’s executive vice president of basketball operations and general manager, will take up Larry Bird’s role as president of basketball operations. Bird will continue to serve as an advisor for the group.
After serving as Director of Player Personnel for the first five years of his tenure with the Pacers, Pritchard, now 49, went on to become Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager. Previously, from 2007 to 2010, he served as general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers, where he played a key role in transforming the team into one that finished the 2008–09 season with the sixth-best record in franchise history (54–28) and qualified for the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.
Pritchard expressed his gratitude to Herb, Larry, and Donnie Walsh for providing him with an opportunity of a lifetime. “I was up in Bloomington, Indiana, so I have always felt a sense of pride for the Pacers. As it was with Donnie and Larry, the objective will always be the same: to establish this as a world-class enterprise.”
Simon expressed complete confidence in Kevin’s ability to take over. “Donnie and Larry, two outstanding guys, taught him a lot while he was a player for the Pacers. We are all confident he will do admirably.”
