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The Toronto Raptors introduced their new basketball operations staff Monday, naming Rob Babcock as the third general manager in the club’s history. Babcock, whose 17 years of NBA management experience has included the past two seasons as vice president of player personnel with the Minnesota Timberwolves, is bringing on board two assistants with Hall of Fame credentials. He has named Wayne Embry as senior advisor to the general manager and Alex English as director of player development/scout. The trio possesses a wealth of NBA experience covering all aspects of basketball operations, including scouting, playing, coaching and team management.

“Rob Babcock is an individual we had targeted from the very beginning of the search process, and as we spoke with numerous officials from around the league, it became clear that he was the right man for the job,” said Richard Peddie, president and chief executive officer of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd., who oversaw the hiring of Babcock. “Rob is an experienced, highly-regarded individual who has the professional abilities and personal qualities that were critical to us and to our fans. He worked his way up through the NBA ranks and is well-prepared for this situation.”

Babcock spent the past 12 seasons with Minnesota, beginning as a scout in 1992 before being promoted to director of player personnel just two years later. He was responsible for draft preparation and scouting, salary cap planning and roster management. He assisted Kevin McHale on trades and player acquisitions, agent relations and contracts. Babcock started his NBA career in 1987 as director of scouting with the Denver Nuggets, where he served for five years.

Babcock’s first steps toward moving the Raptors back to playoff contention following a two year absence was to bring Wayne Embry and Alex English to his staff. Embry brings to Toronto more than 40 years of NBA experience as a player, general manager and front office executive. Following a brilliant 11-year playing career (1958-69), during which he earned first team all-NBA honours with the Cincinnati Royals in five consecutive seasons (1961-65) and won a world championship with the 1968 Boston Celtics, Embry became the NBA’s first African American general manager in 1972 when he was named to that post by the Milwaukee Bucks. Prior to joining the organization, he was instrumental in negotiations that brought former teammate and legendary guard Oscar Robertson to Milwaukee to join forces with Lew Alcindor. In 1971, the Bucks captured the NBA championship, becoming the fastest team in sports history to accomplish the feat. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.

“I can’t say enough about how excited I am to be able to bring Wayne Embry into this organization,” said Babcock. “Very few people in any sport have accomplished all that Wayne has as a player and executive, and he’s truly one of the great individuals to ever be associated with the NBA. He understands the league as well as anybody, and that will help our franchise in numerous ways.”

Embry served as vice president and general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1985-92, was promoted to executive vice president from 1992-94, and once again made history in 1994 by becoming the first African American president and chief operating officer of an NBA team in 1994. He earned The Sporting News Executive of the Year honours in 1992 and 1998.

Babcock named English to the position of director of player development/scout with the Raptors. English was as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers last year after serving as director of player personnel with the Atlanta Hawks during the 2002-03 season. One of the greatest players in basketball history, English was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997—his first year of eligibility—following a 16-year career in which he scored 25,613 points (11th on the league’s all-time registry). He was head coach of the National Basketball Development League’s North Charleston (S.C.) Lowgaters during the 2001-02 campaign, guiding his team to a 36-20 record and a berth in the finals of the first NBDL championship.

“Alex was one of the best ever to play in the NBA, and he was a leader on and off the court with each club he played for,” said Babcock. “He has always been a student of the game and understands it from a players and management perspective. He’s a quality person and will be a welcomed addition to our organization.”

An eight-time NBA All-Star, English was selected to the all-league second team three times, and in 1988 was presented with the league’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for his dedication to community service. English played two seasons with Milwaukee (1976-78), two with the Indiana Pacers (1978-80), 11 with the Denver Nuggets (1980-90) and his final year with the Dallas Mavericks (1990-91). He continues to be one of the NBA’s most active participants in outreach programs designed to address social issues in countries around the world.