John Gabriel is an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

executive who serves as the executive advisor for the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

. He is known for his time as

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

with the Magic, who reached the

NBA Playoffs The NBA playoffs is the annual Playoffs, postseason Tournament#Knockout tournaments, tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA) held to determine the league champion. Since 1949, the four-round, best-of-seven tournament is held afte ...

five times during his tenure.

Career

Philadelphia 76ers

Gabriel started his coaching career with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

working as an assistant coach, the director of video scouting, and the scouting coordinator.

Orlando Magic

Gabriel was hired by the Magic in 1987 as the director of player personnel, director of scouting and assistant coach. Gabriel helped the Magic reach the NBA Playoffs two times as vice president of basketball operations, and as a player personnel coach from 1994 to 1996. He reached the NBA Finals in 1995, won the Eastern Conference Finals in 1995 and won the Atlantic Division in 1995, 1996 and 1999. With Darrell Armstrong leading the team, the Magic compiled a 41–41 record but missed the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

in the 1999 season. Gabriel hired

Doc Rivers Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers (born October 13, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). An NBA player for 14 seasons, he was an NB ...

as head coach of the Magic at the beginning of that season. Rivers won Coach of the Year honors. In 2000, Gabriel won the NBA and Sport Illustrated Executive of the Year Award. The following season, Gabriel pursued free agents Grant Hill, Tim Duncan and Tracy McGrady. Ultimately, Hill and McGrady came to Orlando, while Duncan decided to stay with the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. In addition, Gabriel drafted Mike Miller, who would later become Rookie of the Year. Gabriel was let go by the Magic in the middle of a franchise record 19-game losing streak during the 2003–04 NBA season. Elected to the Magic Hall of Fame in 2022.

Portland Trail Blazers

Gabriel returned to basketball in the NBA as an executive and scout first for the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

New York Knicks

In 2008, he became the director of scouting for the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

Personal life

Gabriel's great-grandparent Francesco Gabriele immigrated to the United States from Guardiagrele – Italy in the late 19th century. Gabriel revealed in 2012 that he had been suffering from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

. Gabriel is a 1978 graduate of Kutztown State Teachers College (now Kutztown University of Pennsylvania), where he played basketball. He was inducted into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gabriel, John Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American men's basketball players Kutztown Golden Bears men's basketball players Orlando Magic assistant coaches Orlando Magic executives People with Parkinson's disease