Sixers hiring Ariana Andonian as VP of player personnel originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Ariana Andonian will join the Sixers as vice president of player personnel, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported.
Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey retweeted that news.
As detailed by Howard Beck in a 2017 Bleacher Report storyMorey first hired Andonia as a Rockets scout intern in 2015. She worked in the Grizzlies’ front office. starting in 2020most recently as the team’s director of player personnel.
Mike Vorkunov of the Athletic included Andonia on an NBA “40 under 40” list. this summer highlighting successful young coaches, management members and agents around the league.
“Those who have worked with her rave about her attention to detail and scouting prowess,” Vorkunov wrote of Andonian.
In 2018, The Athletic reported Andonian was the only female scout for an NBA team. She coordinated the Rockets’ college scouting operations during her initial stint with Morey and traveled heavily. Kevin O’Connor from The Ringer noted in a 2021 piece on former Sixers wing Matisse Thybulle that Andonian “told Morey he needed to travel to see Thybulle near the start of his junior season.”
Prosper Karangwa will remain Sixers VP of player personnel, PhillyVoice’s Adam Aaronson reported. He and Andonian will have the same title with “different areas of focus,” according to Aaronson.
Karangwa worked closely with Morey, Sixers general manager Elton Brand and Delaware Blue Coats GM Jameer Nelson. He has been a key figure in shaping how the Sixers organization evaluates and develops young players over the last several years.
“Honestly, the reality of it in the NBA is that you have one percent of the league that are superstars that can dictate the style of play and what you do once they’re in your organization,” Karangwa told NBC Sports Philadelphia in an April phone interview. “And the rest of the roster, the rest of the league are just role players. So it’s really trying to identify what that player has that’s extraordinary, that he’s doing at an elite level? And what does that look like in our environment?
“And once you have him, just make sure they’re aware of it and they play to their strengths. You have to be a star in your own role to fit in the NBA, and it all starts with self-awareness — understanding who you are and what’s required of you, and then just working at it.”
