Magic promote Anthony Parker to GM as John Hammond transitions into senior advisory role
The Orlando Magic have a new general manager after the team announced Wednesday that assistant GM Anthony Parker would be promoted to the top job. Parker will replace GM John Hammond, who will become a senior adviser to the president of basketball operations.
Parker, 48, first joined the Magic as a scout in 2012 after a 15-year playing career that included a six-year stint in Israel and nine years in the NBA. He was the 21st overall pick in the 1997 draft and played for the Magic, Philadelphia 76ers (who drafted him), Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers. Parker averaged 9.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in the NBA. He also won five Israeli Super League titles, three EuroLeague championships and two EuroLeague MVP awards with Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C.
Parker was named GM of the Magic's G League affiliate in 2017 following five years as a scout in a position he held for four seasons until 2021. The Osceola Magic (then the Lakeland Magic) won the 2020-21 G League title with Parker before he became Orlando's assistant GM in October.
"Anthony brings a unique perspective to our group as a former player and it has been great to watch his progression from player to scout to G League GM to the Magic’s assistant general manager," Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said in a statement. "Anthony is the ultimate team player and we look forward to his continued leadership, experience and energy.
The move starts a new era for the Magic after Hammond took over as Orlando's GM in 2017. During Hammond's tenure, the Magic made the playoffs only two times and won more than 40 games just once. Orlando has also picked in the top six of the NBA Draft five times under Hammond, including this past season.
Parker will be paired with third-year head coach Jamahl Mosley, who joined the team the same year Parker did from the G League. The duo will be tasked with configuring a roster led by 2022 Rookie of the Year and No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero that's full of young guards. Orlando recently drafted two with their 2023 first-round picks — Anthony Black and Jett Howard — and already have three other highly drafted guards in Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony and Markelle Fultz. Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported during the draft that the selection of Black would perhaps signal to the rest of the league that Orlando would be interested in moving on from some in-house guards.
That decision will likely be Parker's first big test as GM. And it's a big one considering how poorly the Magic have performed over the past three seasons.
