Going to an HBCU is a tremendous opportunity to grow as a person… the most I remember from Bowie State, the professors that really poured into you and believed in you and wanted nothing but the best for you. [At HBCUs] the professors and the environment that you get, the self belief that you get to be the best version of yourself… so I’m forever grateful for that experience.
Detroit Pistons general manager on his time at Bowie State University.
Despite the Detroit Pistons finishing with a 20-52 record, the worst in the Eastern Conference and the second worst in the NBA, general manager Troy Weaver by many accounts has done a good job in his first season, unloading some aging players and putting the Pistons in a position to begin to be successful next season and years down the road. If you use the word rebuild, he we tell you it’s a “restoring,” getting the Pistons back to their days as an NBA title contender.
Weaver’s has a proven track record. As assistant general manager and vice president of basketball operations for the Oklahoma City Thunder, he was in part responsible for OKC’s run over a 10-year period as one of the better teams in the league. It was his voice that allowed for the Thunder to draft Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Serge Ibaka, Steven Adams and others. Going back to his days as a scout with the Utah Jazz, he has always had a keen eye for talent. As an assistant coach at Syracuse, it was his recruitment of Carmelo Anthony and Anthony’s play that helped lead Syracuse to the national championship in Anthony’s only season at Syracuse in 2003.
But it was Weaver’s time at Bowie State University and growing up in the Washington, DC area that helped mold him into the person he has become and one of the most respected executives in the NBA. He is the first HBCU alum to be a general manager in the NBA.
Weaver talked with Donal Ware about his time at Bowie State University, about growing up in the DMV, about whether we will see more four and five star high school players go to HBCUs and ultimately get a shot at the NBA, and about his career.
Click to download or listen to the podcast.