12 People who turned their backs on the Philadelphia 76ers
By Tyler Watts
9. Bryan Colangelo
The Sixers replaced Sam Hinkie with Bryan Colangelo as president of basketball operations. The two-time Executive of the Year was tasked with getting the team back on track. They made an 18-win improvement in year one and got to the playoffs in his second season. Philadelphia went from ten wins to 52 in his two years in charge, but things unraveled in 2018.
Colangelo was involved in a scandal featuring burner Twitter accounts. The veteran executive and his wife leaked sensitive team information on the social media platform, and The Ringer’s article exposing Colangelo resulted in his resignation in June 2018.
He has not been involved with an organization since, but Bryan Colangelo laid the foundation for the 76ers’ recent success. He drafted Ben Simmons and got them back to the playoffs for the first time in five years. Philadelphia won a playoff series in 2018, and it would have been interesting to see if they continued to climb had Bryan Colangelo not leaked sensitive information on social media.
He turned his back on the Philadelphia 76ers just as things were turning around. Head coach Brett Brown took over as interim general manager before the team hired Elton Brand to fill that role a few months later.