The name Lon Babby is recognized by basketball fans because of his work as one of the most prominent agents for the past decade. Babby represented players like Tim Duncan, Grant Hill, and Ray Allen, but now he is moving into a new role in the NBA. Babby gave up his job for a seat in the Suns front office as he was just named the team’s President of Basketball Operations. It’s pretty rare that an owner would hire an agent to run the Basketball Operations aspect of an NBA front office, but that’s exactly what Robert Sarver did. In doing this, the Suns owner is taking a huge risk. Babby is not yet qualified to handle personnel decisions or scout players. Which is why his first task as President is to find a General Manager to replace the second part of the departed Steve Kerr’s job.
Lon Babby joined KTAR in Phoenix with Gambo and Ash to talk why he decided to take the jump to the Suns front office, what qualities he will be looking for in a General Manager, and how tough it was to deliver the news to his clients.
On why he decided to join the Suns organization:
“I’m coming into a dream situation, a dream job for an organization that I view not just a premiere NBA organization, but an elite organization in all of sports. To have the opportunity to come into a place like this and bring what I think I’ve learned over the last 35 years from first the management side and then the player’s side, starting from such a high level if I can make a contribution at a place like this, it’s the ultimate. I’m more than excited about it. I know it’s going to be challenging, but it is truly an opportunity of a lifetime.”
On how difficult the transition will be:
“I know it’s going to be different. It’s going to be challenging and there are things I need to learn. I don’t come into it blind to that but I’ve got wonderful people here to work with and I think I can bring some things that are new to them. It’s going to be a partnership. It’s going to be a partnership with whoever we bring in as General Manger. I’m going to play to my strengths and I’m gonna try to impose processes, discipline, and a level of preparation that will allow us to succeed more often than other places. That’s not to say every decision is going to be right. It’s not, that’s the human endeavor, but I want to make sure we’re making decisions for the right reasons and based on preparation.”
On what he is looking for in a GM:
“Yeah. What I’m looking to have is the person is going to report to me so I suppose on some level I’m number one, but I’m not looking for number two. I’m looking for 1A. I’m looking for someone who is going to be willing to work in full partnership with me. What that person needs to be first and foremost is a basketball genius. We have geniuses here, we just need more geniuses. Everybody needs more geniuses. I want someone who can say this player is a better player than that player and this player can only go so far. My job is to take that information with the person in that position and flesh it out and make sure were asking all the right questions. Make sure we’ve analyzed it from all the angles, make sure we understand the implications from the collective bargaining agreement, the cap, and the tax. In the NBA, the way it works now, nothing is in isolation, but that guy is going to be able to be the most influential voice on basketball decisions from the standpoint of what happens on the court.”
On how much of a soft spot he will have for his former clients:
“More than a soft spot. You develop personal relationships that are brother to brother, or father to son and I think that’s what makes the job incredibly gratifying. To start working with them when they’re coming out of college and then to watch them grow as a professional basketball player, but more importantly grow as a person, a husband, and a father, that is a wonderfully gratifying experience. What’s really been terrific for me in this whole process is in communicating to my clients first that I was thinking about this, they all seemed proud. Proud that my work with them led to this opportunity. Those relationships will be different and I will have to be careful to be different now because I don’t represent them. They are in great hands with my partner Jim Tanner, but those relationships are going to last a lifetime.”
Listen to Lon Babby on KTAR in Phoenix here
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