Incoming NBA Commissioner ADAM SILVER begins his new job Saturday, but he already has made his first major move in tapping NBA Exec VP/Global Marketing Partnerships MARK TATUM as NBA Deputy Commissioner. NBA owners must vote whether to approve Tatum’s promotion, a process that could be completed as soon as this week, according to a source. Tatum joined the NBA in '99 and has been a key exec in growing the league’s marketing partnership business. He also has played a central role in marketing USA Basketball (John Lombardo, Staff Writer). YAHOO SPORTS' Adrian Wojnarowski, who first broke the news, notes the African-American Tatum would become "one of the highest-ranking minority executives in major professional sports." Several league execs said that Tatum is "bright, capable and engaging, an executive who has spent most of the past 15 years as a revenue creator for the NBA" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/28). ESPN.com's Windhorst & Rovell report Silver's "first major project when he takes over" for DAVID STERN is to "negotiate new television deals, and Tatum is expected to be a strong partner in that process" (ESPN.com, 1/28). Tatum was a three-time selection to the SBJ/SBD "Forty Under 40." Read his entries from '06, '07 and '08.
