Grizzlies name Kenny Williamson assistant GM
Sep 28th, 2007 by Inside Hoops
The Memphis Grizzlies today named Kenny Williamson assistant general manager.
Williamson brings 30 years of basketball experience to the Grizzlies, having spent the last three seasons with the Charlotte Bobcats leading the club’s scouting of college and high school prospects while assisting with the team’s international scouting efforts.
“Kenny simply knows more people in the game of basketball than anyone I have ever met,” said Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace. “His contacts are worldwide in scope. His resume is varied and extremely impressive. Kenny has coached on the AAU and high major college levels under the likes of the late Jim Valvano, Lou Carnesecca and Denny Crum. He coached collegiately in the ACC and the Big East.
“In the NBA he worked for the Knicks under one of the most successful GMs in the business in Ernie Grunfeld and helped launch the expansion Charlotte Bobcats. He is a tremendous evaluator of talent and a great communicator who will heavily be involved in all phases of the Grizzlies’ basketball operations. We are fortunate to have him join our organization.”
Known affectionately in basketball circles as “Eggman,” Williamson worked six seasons (1997-2003) as a scout for the New York Knicks before joining the Bobcats as director of scouting, where he aided the team’s preparations for the 2004 expansion draft and NBA Draft. Prior to the Knicks, he spent 21 years as an assistant coach in the collegiate ranks at St. John’s, Seton Hall, Columbia and Louisville and was associate head coach at Iona and Florida State.
A native New Yorker, he is a well-known fixture at historic Rucker Park in Harlem and was featured in the television basketball documentary “Hallowed Ground,” as well as an NBA-produced film on the Entertainers Basketball Classic at Rucker Park.
The graduate of City College of New York is the father of five.