Scott Perry (born November 25, 1963) is an American basketball executive and former coach who is the general manager for the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

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 ...

(NBA). He previously served as the general manager 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 ...

of the

(NBA) from 2017 to 2023.

Early life

Perry's father, Lowell Perry, was an All-American football player at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1951 and went on to play for the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

in 1956, where he later became the first African-American assistant coach in the NFL in 1957. His mother was a

Detroit Public Schools Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is a school district that serves Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, and high school students in Highland Park, Michigan. The district, which replaced the original Detroit Public Schools (DPS) in 2016, ...

journalism teacher who later became an attorney.

Playing career

Perry was an All-Catholic and All-State basketball player at University of Detroit Jesuit High school in 1981. He received a scholarship to attend the University of Oregon, where he played one season. Perry finished his collegiate playing career at Wayne State University in 1986, where he was a team captain and an honorable mention All-

Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The GLIAC was founded in June 1972. Its eleven member ...

performer. His team made it to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. Perry earned a bachelor's degree in business administration.

Coaching career

Perry started his coaching career in 1988 at the University of Detroit Mercy, where he spent five seasons. He went on to become an assistant coach at The University of Michigan, where he was instrumental in guiding the team to the NCAA Division I Elite Eight in 1994. Perry was the catalyst for Michigan's nationally recognized top-ranked recruiting classes in both 1994 and 1995. His final year with the Wolverines resulted in a NIT Championship. Perry completed his coaching career as the head coach at Eastern Kentucky University from 1997 to 2000.

Executive career

Perry was hired as a front office executive for the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

by president

Joe Dumars Joe Dumars III ( ; born May 24, 1963) is an American professional basketball executive and former player who is the head of basketball operations for the New Orleans Pelicans. He could play either shooting guard or point guard on offense and was ...

in June 2000. As a member of their executive team, Perry assisted in building a roster that went to six Eastern Conference Finals appearances (2003–2008), two Eastern Conference Championships (2004, 2005) and the 2004 NBA championship. Afterward, Perry served as the assistant general manager for the Seattle SuperSonics for one season (2007–08). He was part of the front office staff that drafted

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant (born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Durant has won two List of NBA champions, NBA champ ...

to the Sonics/Thunder in the first round with the second overall pick. He then returned to the Pistons to become vice president of basketball operations from 2008 to 2012. On June 25, 2012, Perry was hired by 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 ...

general manager Rob Hennigan to become Hennigan's vice president and assistant general manager.

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

basketball analyst and former NBA player

Chauncey Billups Chauncey Ray Billups (born September 25, 1976) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing college basketball with ...

spoke highly of Perry as the assistant general manager of the Magic, saying, "I love Scott Perry in the front office." In his time in Orlando, Perry helped draft

Victor Oladipo Kehinde Babatunde Victor Oladipo ( ; born May 4, 1992) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player who last played for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently a sports analyst for ESPN. Oladipo play ...

(2013), Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton (2014), and Mario Hezonja (2015). On April 21, 2017, Perry was hired by the

as vice president of basketball operations. Three months later, on July 14, 2017, Perry was hired to become the general manager of the

. As compensation for the movement, the Knicks gave the Kings a 2019 second round pick and cash considerations, with the Kings later hiring Brandon Williams as his replacement. On February 4, 2020, Perry took over basketball operations duties on an interim basis after president Steve Mills was fired. He was general manager for the

of the

(NBA) between 2017 and 2023. His contract expired at the end of the 2023 season, and the Knicks decided not to bring him back. On April 21, 2025, Perry was hired by the Kings as general manager.

Personal life

He and his wife Kim have a daughter, Chelsea.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Scott 1963 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Michigan Basketball players from Detroit Detroit Pistons executives Eastern Kentucky Colonels men's basketball coaches Michigan Wolverines men's basketball coaches New York Knicks executives Oregon Ducks men's basketball players Orlando Magic executives Sacramento Kings executives Seattle SuperSonics executives University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy alumni Wayne State Warriors men's basketball players 20th-century American sportsmen