There are a ton of connections between Michigan State basketball and the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, with former walk-on Mat Ishbia buying the franchise in 2023. Now, those connections are growing stronger.
The Suns are moving on from James Jones, who had been the team’s general manager since 2019, and are promoting a former Tom Izzo and Jud Heathcote assistant into the position. Brian Gregory will assume the role as the team’s general manager, getting promoted from his previous role as vice president.
Gregory got his start in collegiate coaching under Heathcote, spending time on the Spartans bench from 1990-1996 before returning to Izzo’s bench from 1999-2003 where he coached Ishbia. He then spent 2003-2023 as a collegiate head coach, spending time with Dayton, Georgia Tech and South Florida.
Following his college coaching career, ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season, Gregory was hired by the Suns as the vice president of player programming. After just one season in that role, he has been promoted as the team’s general manager.
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