The NBA has hired WMG Golf Division Managing Dir MALCOLM TURNER as President of the D-League. Turner will report to NBA Deputy Commissioner MARK TATUM and begin the new job Nov. 12. The 18-team D-League, which begins its '14-15 season on Nov. 14, has direct affiliations with 17 NBA teams and hopes to grow to 30 teams-all affiliated with NBA clubs. “Malcolm is a terrific business executive who’s been involved in growing businesses and clearly we’re looking for a president who’s going to take the D-League to the next level," said Tatum, adding that he has been talking with Turner about the position for around a month. “Malcolm’s ideally suited for that." The 43-year-old Turner replaces DAN REED, who had served as D-League President since '07 but who left in July for a job heading global sports partnerships with Facebook. Turner, a former SportsBusiness Journal Forty Under 40 winner, is also a former NBA intern. He has a law degree and an MBA from Harvard, where he was classmate of Tatum. Turner worked at the PGA Tour from '93-95 and was hired in '99 by former NBA Properties Marketing & Media President GARY STEVENSON to work at his Raleigh-based sports marketing agency OnSport in corporate consulting. The agency was sold to WMG in '07. “There’s lots that excited me about this opportunity," said Turner. “ I see it as one of the top growth opportunities in sports."
