Pelicans announce David Griffin as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations

NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has named David Griffin as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations.

“We are very pleased to welcome David and his wife, Meredith, to the New Orleans Pelicans,” stated Pelicans Owner Gayle Benson. “After a comprehensive interview process, which included several top candidates from across the NBA, David’s strong leadership skills, acumen and vision stood out as the best fit for our organization to achieve our goal of building a team that will compete for championships. I am proud of the process that we went through in our search and I look forward to working with David and providing all of the resources he needs to bring an NBA championship to our city.”

Griffin brings over 20 years of front office experience to New Orleans, including seven years as a general manager. He will be responsible for leading the organization’s day-to-day basketball operations.

“I am very excited to join the Pelicans organization as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations,” said Griffin. “One of the things that makes this job so attractive to me is Mrs. Benson’s willingness to provide any and all resources needed to compete for championships. This is a tremendous opportunity to build something special in New Orleans and I firmly believe it begins with great ownership along with a very strong leadership team. I want to thank Mrs. Benson, Dennis Lauscha, and the entire Pelicans organization for entrusting me with this responsibility, and I look forward to working with Alvin Gentry and his staff on building a robust basketball culture in New Orleans.”

Prior to joining the Pelicans, Griffin served as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Vice President of Basketball Operations from 2010-14 and General Manager from 2014-17. Under his guidance, the Cavaliers won 53 games in the 2014-15 season and reached their first of three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals, with Griffin finishing second in NBA Basketball Executive of the Year voting. The following season, Griffin led the Cavaliers to a 57-win season – the third highest total in franchise history – and Cleveland went on to defeat the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals, bringing the franchise its first championship and the city of Cleveland their first professional title in 52 years.

“David provided a solid vision for the future of our organization,” stated Pelicans President Dennis Lauscha. “His track record as a basketball executive speaks for itself. He has years of experience building a successful and competitive roster. He has built championship-level teams and is considered one of the most established executives in the NBA. We could not be more excited to start working with David and bringing our fans a team that will compete at a high level and one that they can be proud of supporting.”

Prior to his tenure in Cleveland, Griffin spent 17 seasons with the Phoenix Suns organization, where he began as an intern while still enrolled in college. During his time with the Suns, Griffin held multiple roles within the basketball operations department, including assistant general manager of player personnel, director of player personnel, and senior vice president of basketball operations, which he held from 2007-10.

A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Griffin graduated from Arizona State University in 1995 with a degree in Political Science.