Michael Allen
Age: 39
League: NBA
Title: Senior vice president, digital products and emerging technology
Where born: Jersey City, N.J.
Education: Franklin & Marshall
College (B.A., history)
Family: Wife, Alyson; son, James (2); daughter, Isabelle (6 months)
Favorite way to unwind: Early morning run, ideally near a beach — or a round of golf with friends.
Causes supported: NBA Cares and Team For Kids.
Most thrilling/adventurous thing I’ve ever done: Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain.
Person in the industry I’d most like to meet: Michael Jordan.
If I could change jobs with anyone for a day, it would be: Derek Jeter as shortstop for the Yankees. He was the ultimate team captain.
2015 will be a good year if: Through the use of technology, NBA fans from around the world are able to experience what it is like to sit courtside at an NBA game.
JENNIFER POTTHEISER / NBAE / GETTY IMAGESichael Allen has come a long way from when he worked nights at Madison Square Garden while coaching high school football and selling pipe during the day. But it was his passion for sports that led Allen to the job he has today.
“While I appreciated the opportunity, I didn’t want to sell stainless steel pipe,” Allen said of his job that largely paid his bills at the time. “I was extremely persistent to reach out to all the teams in the area.”
That drive to work in sports after he graduated from college led Allen to that game-night job at
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the Garden, which then led to a full-time job at the NBA in 1999 as an assistant in the league’s Internet services department. At the time, the department consisted of about a half-dozen people, allowing Allen to learn from the ground up as the league’s then-nascent digital business began to take off.
Allen left the NBA in 2005 to join MTV Networks as a manager for VH1 Digital, but he returned to the league in 2006 as director of interactive services. Today, he oversees the league’s international digital operations and product development. He also works on the league’s domestic digital strategy, and he’s working on developing virtual reality applications and other cutting-edge technology.
“It’s about making sure we stay ahead of the curve,” Allen said.
— John Lombardo
