The NBA has named Amy Brooks the league’s first chief innovation officer, signaling the league’s growing emphasis on developing creative global business strategies.
Brooks, who joined the NBA in 2005, also has been promoted to president of the NBA’s team marketing and business operations division. She had been executive vice president of TMBO since 2014, and she will continue to oversee that department in her new role.
The new position and promotion are effective immediately and give the already highly regarded Brooks more influence within the league. The move also points to the NBA’s diversity efforts as Brooks assumes a more senior executive role.
Brooks will report to NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum and will be responsible for creating and assessing the league’s innovative business efforts.
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Amy Brooks was also promoted to president of TMBO.
Photo by: DAVID DUROCHIK |
“We have an incredible opportunity right now in the way our sport is growing on a global basis and in the U.S., and what we need is to take full advantage of the opportunities that are presented around the game,” Tatum said. “Amy, given her experience, expertise and track record of bringing innovation to teams, whether it is the jersey patch or on-court signage, is the right person to take the business to the next level.”
Brooks, 43, will lead a 10- to 15-member staff to develop business initiatives.
“She has a unique combination of skills,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “She played basketball at a high level at Stanford and she has a basketball gene you can’t teach. No. 2, she has a unique skill set developed by being part of TMBO for over the past 10 years. Amy’s extraordinary experience with the business side of sports makes her ideally suited for her expanded role focused on exploring new ways to enhance the business of the league and our teams.”
One initiative Brooks will address is the potential development of a midseason NBA tournament, an idea that has been discussed over the past few years.
“One of the major projects is how do we continue to develop the game content and non-game content and deliver that to consumers around the world in the way they are trying to consume it,” Tatum said.
Brooks also will work closely with NBA Chief Financial Officer J.B. Lockhart in developing global business initiatives.
“It is the opportunity to make changes around our game and the way we market our game and our players,” Brooks said. “This is a position that looks at the opportunities to grow and looks to make rapid changes to both develop our business and grow our game. We have several new opportunities to change the way we do things, and my role is to make sure I am interacting with all key stakeholders to properly assess all those decisions and when and if we should make them.”
Brooks’ duties in running the league’s team marketing and business operations will not change. “I will continue to lead the group and the responsibility there is to help our teams drive revenue and innovate across all our leagues,” Brooks said.
