SACRAMENTO -- The Sacramento Kings announced Monday that Vlade Divac will serve as the Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager moving forward. Hired in March as the V.P. of Basketball and Franchise Operations, his expanded role in the Kings front office emphasizes a commitment to improving the organization on the court and comes in conjunction with Mike Bratz being named Assistant General Manager, Roland Beech as Vice President of Basketball Strategy and Data Science and Peja Stojakovic as Director of Player Personnel and Development.
Entering his third season in the Kings front office, Bratz brings nearly 40 years of basketball experience as a player, coach, scout and front office executive to bear in his position, which includes scouting collegiate, professional and international talent and maintaining player databases, in addition to helping Divac oversee all aspects of the day-to-day operation of the Kings basketball operations department. His Kings lineage connects him to Sacramento as both a player and coach, suiting up for the team during its inaugural 1985-86 campaign in the River City and also as an assistant for seven seasons from 1991-1998.
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Beech joins the Kings as Vice President of Basketball Strategy and Data Science after spending the previous decade in a variety of positions with Dallas, most recently serving as the Mavericks Vice President of Basketball Operations. His experience includes time on the bench as an assistant coach during Dallas’ championship season in 2011. A vanguard of the analytics movement since founding 82games.com—a well-respected resource providing innovative, data-driven basketball analysis, Beech has accrued distinctive experiences working on the cutting edge of statistical evaluation as a consultant, coach and front office executive.
Stojakovic rejoins the organization after one of the most successful playing careers in Sacramento Kings annals. In his new role as Director of Player Personnel and Development, he will be responsible for keeping abreast of domestic and international talent pools available to the Kings as well as assisting Divac and Bratz with the team’s scouting efforts. Additionally, Stojakovic will serve as general manager for the Reno Bighorns, Sacramento’s D-League affiliate. Selected 14th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft, the Serbian-born sharpshooter helped form a nucleus that would go on to participate in the postseason in each of his seven seasons in a Kings uniform.
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“We’re fortunate as an organization to enter this season with three professionals of this caliber,” said Divac. “Having such individuals as integral members of our basketball operations team offers more than a unique set of basketball philosophies, experiences and instincts, but also a depth of character commonly associated with winning cultures. With Mike, Roland and Peja on board, I’m more confident than ever in the future success of the Sacramento Kings.”
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