Karen Bryant

Last updated
Karen Bryant
Personal information
Born (1967-08-24) August 24, 1967 (age 57)
Edmonds, Washington, U.S.
Career information
College Washington

Karen Bryant (born August 24, 1967) is a basketball executive. She last served as the Chief Administrative Officer and General Manager of the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. Bryant started her professional sports career in the American Basketball League from 1996 to 1998. Bryant started out as the director of basketball operations for the Seattle Reign in 1996 before being named general manager in 1998. After the ABL closed in 1998, Bryant joined the WNBA as part of the newly formed Seattle Storm in 1999. With the Storm, Bryant held multiple executive positions between 1999 and 2014. Her executive roles with the Storm included chief operating officer from 2003 to 2008 and chief executive officer between 2008 and 2014.

Contents

Early life and education

In the late 1960s, Bryant was born in Edmonds, Washington. [1] As a child, Bryant played wiffle ball and association football before deciding on basketball in elementary school. [2] From the 1980s to 1990s, Bryant continued to play basketball while completing her high school and post-secondary education. Bryant attended Green River Community College and Seattle University for two years each before moving to the University of Washington in 1990. [3] A year later, Bryant received a Bachelor of Arts from Washington and specialized in communications. [4]

Career

After completing her post-secondary education, Bryant coached the girls basketball team at Woodinville High School between 1993 and 1996. [3] Bryant then worked in project management before joining the American Basketball League in 1996. [5] While in the ABL, Bryant started out as the director of basketball operations for the Seattle Reign. After becoming an assistant general manager for the Reign, Bryant was named their general manager in February 1998 after Jim Weyermann stepped down from his position. [6] [7] In December 1998, Bryant ended her general manager position with the Reign upon the closure of the ABL. [8]

In 1999, Bryant joined the newly formed Seattle Storm in the WNBA as their vice president. She remained as the Storm's vice president until she was named chief operating officer in November 2003. [9] While adding an executive position in communications in 2006, Bryant continued to work as chief operating officer until becoming the Storm's chief executive officer in 2008. [10] [11] Bryant remained as CEO until she left the Storm in 2014 and was replaced by Alisha Valavanis. [12] After ending her basketball position, Bryant switched to football safety after she joined Atavus Sports in 2017 as their chief operating officer. [13] In 2021, Bryant began working in consulting when she helped create KB2 Sports. The following year, Bryant became a co-owner of the NJ/NY Gotham FC. [14]

On January 3, 2023, Bryant was named the new Chief Administrative Officer and General Manager of the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA. [15] On January 5, 2024, she was replaced by Raegan Pebley. [16]

Personal life

Bryant has one child. [8] [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's National Basketball Association</span> Professional womens basketball league in the United States

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league based in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams. It is considered the premier professional women's basketball league in the world. The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Sparks</span> Womens basketball team

The Los Angeles Sparks are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Crypto.com Arena. The Sparks were founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began. Like some other WNBA teams, the Sparks have the distinction of not being affiliated with an NBA counterpart, even though the market is shared with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Storm</span> American professional womens basketball team

The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerley and her husband Barry ahead of the 2000 season. The team is currently owned by Force 10 Hoops LLC, which is composed of Seattle businesswomen Dawn Trudeau, Lisa Brummel, and Ginny Gilder, along with former player Sue Bird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Bryant</span> American basketball head coach and player (1954–2024)

Joseph Washington "Jellybean" Bryant was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played for the Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers, and Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also played for several teams in Italy and one in France. Bryant was the head coach of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks from 2005 to 2007 and returned to that position for the remainder of the 2011 WNBA season. Bryant also coached in Japan and Thailand. His son, basketball player Kobe Bryant, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sue Bird</span> American basketball player (born 1980)

Suzanne Brigit Bird is an American former professional basketball player who played her entire career with the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Bird was drafted first overall pick by the Storm in the 2002 WNBA draft and is considered one of the greatest players in WNBA history. As of 2024, Bird is the only WNBA player to win titles in three different decades. She held a front office position for the NBA's Denver Nuggets as their Basketball Operations Associate. She has also played for three teams in the Russian league and holds dual citizenship with both U.S. and Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margo Dydek</span> Polish basketball player (1974–2011)

Małgorzata Teresa Dydek-Twigg, also known as Margo Dydek, was a Polish professional basketball player. Standing 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) tall, she was famous for being the tallest professional female basketball player in the world. She played center position for multiple teams in the WNBA and was a coach for the Northside Wizards in the Queensland Basketball League. She was awarded the Polish Gold Cross of Merit (1999).

Michelle M. Marciniak is a former All-American collegiate and professional basketball player who played point guard in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). As a floor general, Marciniak competed for two national championships during her three-year career at the University of Tennessee. She led the Tennessee Lady Vols to their 4th National Championship and was named MVP in the 1996 Final Four held in Charlotte, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Starbird</span> American computer scientist and former basketball player

Catherine Evelyn Starbird is an American computer scientist and former women's professional basketball player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lin Dunn</span> American basketball executive and former coach

Lin Dunn is an American women's basketball executive and former coach, who is currently a senior advisor with the Indiana Fever of the WNBA. She was recently the general manager of the Fever. She is most known for being the first coach and general manager for the Seattle Storm. She has more than 500 wins to her name.

Crystal LaTresa Robinson is an American basketball coach and former player. She grew up in Atoka, Oklahoma, and first garnered national recognition during her collegiate career at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Professionally, Robinson played for the Colorado Xplosion of the ABL before playing in the WNBA for the New York Liberty and Washington Mystics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Agler</span> American womens professional basketball coach

Brian Agler is an American college athletics administrator and former women's basketball coach. He is the athletic director at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, a position he has held since 2021. Agler served as head coach of the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 2019 to 2020. He had previously been head coach of the Seattle Storm and the Los Angeles Sparks, each of whom he led to a WNBA championship, in 2010 and 2016, respectively. During his coaching career, Agler has guided young stars like Candace Parker, Nneka Ogwumike, Alana Beard, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Tayler Hill, Liz Cambage, Megan Gustafson, and Arike Ogunbowale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta Dream</span> Womens basketball team

The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Dream compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded for the 2008 WNBA season. The team is owned by real estate investors Larry Gottesdiener, Suzanne Abair, and former Dream player Renee Montgomery. Although the Dream share the Atlanta market with the National Basketball Association's Hawks, the Dream is not affiliated with its NBA counterpart. The Dream play at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia.

Ashley Walker is an American-Romanian professional basketball player. She plays the forward position for the Reyer Venezia in the Italian Serie A1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 WNBA season</span> Sports season

The 2011 WNBA season was the 15th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season began on June 3 with the Los Angeles Sparks hosting the Minnesota Lynx, featuring 2011 WNBA draft top pick Maya Moore, in a game televised on NBA TV. Four games followed the next day, with the marquee matchup, televised on ABC, featuring the defending champion Seattle Storm and the Phoenix Mercury in Seattle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Welts</span> National Basketball Association executive

Rick Welts is an American sports executive who is a chief executive officer for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Welts had also served as the president and chief executive officer of the Phoenix Suns from July 2002 until September 9, 2011. He became the president of the Golden State Warriors from 2011 until 2021 though, he stays with the team as an advisor until 2024. From 1996 to 1999, he was the third-highest-ranking official in the NBA as its executive vice president and chief marketing officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Reign FC</span> Womens soccer team based in Seattle, Washington

Seattle Reign FC is an American professional women's soccer team based in Seattle, Washington, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2012, it is one of eight inaugural members of the NWSL. Since June 2024, the Reign are owned by the private equity firm the Carlyle Group and Major League Soccer team Seattle Sounders FC.

Jennifer Raegan Pebley is an American basketball executive and former coach and player. She is currently the general manager of the Los Angeles Sparks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 WNBA season</span> Sports season

The 2019 WNBA season was the 23rd season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Seattle Storm were the defending champions. The regular season began on May 24, with the Atlanta Dream hosting the Dallas Wings and the New York Liberty hosting the Indiana Fever. The season ended with the Washington Mystics securing their first WNBA Title over the Connecticut Sun three games to two, in a closely contested finals. Emma Meesseman was named Finals MVP and teammate Elena Delle Donne was named regular season MVP.

Nicky McCrimmon is an American former professional basketball player who was on the Los Angeles Sparks between 2000 and 2003. Before joining the Sparks, McCrimmon played basketball on the New Mexico Junior College and University of Southern California teams. During her varsity career, McCrimmon played at the 1993 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament and the 1994 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament with USC. After college, McCrimmon was on several teams in the American Basketball League from 1997 to 1998.

Tiffani Tamara Johnson is an American former professional basketball player. She played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for the Sacramento Monarchs, Houston Comets and Seattle Storm. Johnson won a WNBA championship with the Comets in 2000. She played college basketball for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers and won two NCAA championships in 1996 and 1997.

References

  1. ↑ Evans, Jayda (January 3, 2014). "Karen Bryant to step down as president and CEO of Storm". Seattle Times. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  2. ↑ "Seattle Storm: 15 Year History with Karen Bryant Part One: All In". WNBA. 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Brewer, Jerry (July 26, 2014). "Storm's Karen Bryant, first executive of women's basketball in Seattle, starts a new life". Seattle Times. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  4. ↑ Thompson, Erica (29 March 2013). "Bryant ('91) has weathered all the storms, still going strong". Department of Communication University of Washington. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  5. ↑ Myhre, Rich (July 17, 2008). "Perfect Storm". The Everett Herald. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  6. ↑ "Storm President and CEO Karen Bryant". WNBA. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  7. ↑ Wallingford, John (February 18, 1998). "THE ABL: Holder remains with Reign; Bryant new GM". Kitsap Sun. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  8. 1 2 Evans, Jayda (October 11, 2010). "Storm CEO Karen Bryant has a winning plan". Seattle Times. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  9. ↑ "A moment with ... Karen Bryant, Storm COO". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. May 19, 2004. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  10. ↑ "Seattle Sonics & Storm promote Karen Bryant to senior VP of communications and community development". Our SportsCentral. June 6, 2006. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  11. ↑ "Storm Announces Bryant as New CEO". Our SportsCentral. March 5, 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  12. ↑ Evans, Jayda (June 19, 2014). "Storm hires Alisha Valavanis to replace outgoing CEO Karen Bryant". Seattle Times. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  13. ↑ Garnick, Carol (June 3, 2018). "Former Seattle Storm CEO Karen Bryant tackles football crisis at Atavus Sports". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  14. ↑ "NWSL Gotham FC adds Bernert, Bryant as investors". Sports Business Journal. March 15, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Los Angeles Sparks Name Leading Industry Executive Karen Bryant Chief Administrative Officer & General Manager". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  16. ↑ "Los Angeles Sparks Name Raegan Pebley General Manager". sparks.wnba.com. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.