ESPN has confirmed that the Memphis Grizzlies have hired ESPN's John Hollinger to a front office position. He is known for his work in statistical analysis, and he will begin his new role with the Grizzlies next week. Hollinger had the following to say on the move from ESPN:
Grizzlies hire ESPN’s John Hollinger for front office position
ESPN’s John Hollinger has been hired by the Memphis Grizzlies, and he’ll start his new role next week.
Nelson Chenault-US PRESSWIRE
“It’s incredibly difficult to leave ESPN, but the chance to work for an NBA team and the Grizzlies’ new ownership was an irresistible opportunity”
Hollinger began his road to Memphis by starting a blog, Alleyoop, in 1996. He then moved on to OregonLive, where he developed his Player Efficiency Rating statistic. PER looks to combine all of a player’s individual contributions into a single statistic, much like the work Bill James attempted to do in baseball. PER has been criticized for not considering shot defense while over-valuing shooting volume.
After leaving OregonLive, Hollinger became the senior basketball editor at Sports Illustrated before joining ESPN in 2005. He is a regular speaker at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.
This is not the first such hiring this year, as the Oklahoma City Thunder hired Sebastian Pruiti. Pruiti had contributed to several blogs, including SB Nation, before being hired by the Thunder.
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