Wayne Richard Embry (born March 26, 1937) is an American former professional

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 ...

player and basketball executive. Embry's 11-year playing career as a center spanned from 1958 to 1969 playing for the

Cincinnati Royals 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 of the Western Conference. The Kings are the ...

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

and

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

, all 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). After his playing career, Embry transitioned to a career as a professional basketball executive, becoming the first African-American general manager and team president in NBA history. Since 2004, Embry has served as a senior basketball advisor for the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

Early life

Embry attended Tecumseh High School near

New Carlisle, Ohio New Carlisle ( ) is a city in Clark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,559 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Ohio metropolitan area. History New Carlisle was originally called Monroe, and under the latter name w ...

, where he was a three-year letter winner and earned Honorable Mention All-State honors.

College career

Embry went to

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...

in Oxford, Ohio, where he became a member of

Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the ...

fraternity. As a two-time all-

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...

center, Embry, a team captain, led the then-Redskins to conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in 1957 and 1958. He led the MAC in scoring and rebounding in two seasons and still holds several school records, including best career rebounding average (15.5). He ranks among Miami leaders in the all-time scoring list with 1,401 points and rebounding list with 1,117. He holds both Miami and MAC records for most rebounds in a game (34) and season (488). During his career, he was one of only 10 players in MAC history to total more than 1,000 career points and rebounds. He was selected to the Helms Athletic Foundation All-America third team as a senior, and he was a two-time honorable mention All-America selection in 1957 and 1958. He was inducted in the second class of the Miami Athletics Hall of Fame in 1970. He became the fourth player in Miami history to have his jersey (23) retired. Embry earned a Bachelor of Science in education from Miami.

NBA playing career

Embry was originally drafted by the

St. Louis Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at S ...

in 1958. He was then traded closer to home weeks later to the Cincinnati Royals. The Royals were rebuilding due to the collapse of the team following the head-injury-related hospitalization of team star

Maurice Stokes Maurice Stokes (June 17, 1933 – April 6, 1970) was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Cincinnati/Rochester Royals of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1955 to 1958. Stokes was a three-time NBA All-Star, ...

. Star center

Clyde Lovellette Clyde Edward Lovellette ( ; September 7, 1929 – March 9, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. Lovellette was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988. He was the first basketball player in history to ...

was traded to St. Louis for Embry and four others.

Oscar Robertson Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson played ...

arrived to the team in 1960, reviving the Royals. Embry, Robertson and

Jack Twyman John Kennedy Twyman (May 21, 1934 – May 30, 2012) was an American professional basketball player and sports broadcaster. Twyman is a namesake of the NBA's Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award. Twyman was inducted into the Naismith Basket ...

were all NBA All-Stars for Cincinnati over the next three years. Embry's play was notable for his

pick and roll The pick and roll (also called a ball screen or screen and roll) in basketball is an offensive play in which a player sets a screen (sports), screen (pick) for a teammate handling the ball and then moves toward the basket (rolls) to receive a pa ...

play with Robertson, whose encouragement improved Embry's game. A powerful 6'8" and 240 pounds, Embry at times appeared to be a blocker on the court, a protector of teammates. In 1963, he was named team captain of the Royals. During the 1963 NBA Playoffs, Embry averaged postseason career highs of 16.8 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. The next season, 1963–64 Cincinnati Royals surged to the second-best record in the NBA, with teammate

Jerry Lucas Jerry Ray Lucas (born March 30, 1940) is an American former basketball player. He was a nationally awarded high school player, national college star at Ohio State University, and 1960 Olympic medal, gold medal Olympian and international player be ...

now added. That season, on December 1, Embry totaled a career high 39 points scored in a 114-109 loss to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. However, the team was never able to surpass the Boston Celtics of

Red Auerbach Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20, 1917 – October 28, 2006) was an American professional basketball coach and executive. As a head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he led the Boston Celtics to an unprecedented champio ...

and

Bill Russell William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played Center (basketball), center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was t ...

, or 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 ...

with

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain ( ; August21, 1936 – October12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player. Standing tall, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 seasons. He was enshrin ...

in their quest for an NBA title. Nearly retiring to be a regional sales leader for Pepsi-Cola, Embry was talked out of retirement by friend Bill Russell, the new player/coach for Boston. Embry played crucial reserve minutes for Russell and aided that team's surprising 1967–68 NBA title run. That offseason, when the Milwaukee Bucks were formed, they claimed Embry from the Celtics in the expansion draft, and Embry started at center for the Bucks for the 1968–69 season. In the first game in Bucks franchise history, Embry scored 15 points and grabbed 20 rebounds. Embry retired at the end of the season.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1958–59 , align="left" ,

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, 66 , , - , , 24.1 , , .387 , , - , , .656 , , 9.0 , , 1.5 , , - , , - , , 11.4 , - , align="left" , 1959–60 , align="left" ,

, 73 , , - , , 21.8 , , .439 , , - , , .514 , , 9.5 , , 1.1 , , - , , - , , 10.6 , - , align="left" , 1960–61 , align="left" ,

, style="background:#cfecec;", 79* , , - , , 28.3 , , .451 , , - , , .668 , , 10.9 , , 1.6 , , - , , - , , 14.4 , - , align="left" , 1961–62 , align="left" ,

, 75 , , - , , 35.0 , , .466 , , - , , .690 , , 13.0 , , 2.4 , , - , , - , , 19.8 , - , align="left" , 1962–63 , align="left" ,

, 76 , , - , , 33.0 , , .458 , , - , , .667 , , 12.3 , , 2.3 , , - , , - , , 18.6 , - , align="left" , 1963–64 , align="left" ,

, 80 , , - , , 36.4 , , .458 , , - , , .650 , , 11.6 , , 1.4 , , - , , - , , 17.3 , - , align="left" , 1964–65 , align="left" ,

, 74 , , - , , 30.3 , , .456 , , - , , .644 , , 10.0 , , 1.2 , , - , , - , , 12.7 , - , align="left" , 1965–66 , align="left" ,

, style="background:#cfecec;", 80* , , - , , 23.5 , , .411 , , - , , .603 , , 6.6 , , 1.0 , , - , , - , , 7.6 , - , align="left" , 1966–67 , align="left" ,

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, 72 , , - , , 10.1 , , .409 , , - , , .569 , , 4.1 , , 0.6 , , - , , - , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" , 1967–68† , align="left" ,

, 78 , , - , , 13.9 , , .400 , , - , , .589 , , 4.1 , , 0.7 , , - , , - , , 6.3 , - , align="left" , 1968–69 , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 78 , , - , , 30.2 , , .427 , , - , , .664 , , 8.6 , , 1.9 , , - , , - , , 13.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 831 , , - , , 26.2 , , .440 , , - , , .640 , , 9.1 , , 1.4 , , - , , - , , 12.5

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 1961–62 , align="left" ,

, 4 , , - , , 32.0 , , .467 , , - , , .778 , , 11.3 , , 2.0 , , - , , - , , 14.0 , - , align="left" , 1962–63 , align="left" ,

, 12 , , - , , 32.8 , , .450 , , - , , .662 , , 13.5 , , 1.3 , , - , , - , , 16.8 , - , align="left" , 1963–64 , align="left" ,

, 10 , , - , , 36.3 , , .381 , , - , , .622 , , 12.4 , , 2.1 , , - , , - , , 13.4 , - , align="left" , 1964–65 , align="left" ,

, 4 , , - , , 30.8 , , .438 , , - , , .818 , , 6.3 , , 2.0 , , - , , - , , 12.8 , - , align="left" , 1965–66 , align="left" ,

, 5 , , - , , 27.8 , , .421 , , - , , .583 , , 6.8 , , 0.4 , , - , , - , , 7.8 , - , align="left" , 1966–67 , align="left" ,

, 5 , , - , , 7.6 , , .387 , , - , , .500 , , 2.6 , , 0.6 , , - , , - , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" , 1967–68† , align="left" ,

, 16 , , - , , 10.1 , , .390 , , - , , .448 , , 2.8 , , 0.4 , , - , , - , , 3.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 56 , , - , , 24.1 , , .418 , , - , , .645 , , 8.0 , , 1.1 , , - , , - , , 10.1

NBA front-office career

Embry later became an assistant manager for the Bucks, keeping an eye for former Royals teammates he could lure to the rising contender. He was instrumental in numerous signings to aid the team, including Robertson. His remarkable teaming with then-named Lew Alcindor quickly produced an NBA title, with Embry by then rising into Milwaukee's front office. After retiring as a player he became the first African-American NBA general manager, managing the Milwaukee Bucks (1972–1979),

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

(1986–1999), and

(2006). He was selected NBA Executive of the Year in 1992 and 1998. In 2004, Embry was hired to be the senior basketball advisor to Rob Babcock, the rookie general manager for the Toronto Raptors. After one season, Embry was elevated from senior advisor to president, bypassing Babcock in the chain of command when the board cited a lack of confidence in Babcock's moves. On January 26, 2006, Embry was named the interim general manager for the Raptors after the firing of Babcock, a position he held for two months until Bryan Colangelo was hired as the general manager. Embry has continued to serve as senior basketball advisor for the Raptors. Since then, the Raptors went on to become NBA champions in 2019.

Personal life and legacy

Embry and his wife Terri have two daughters and one son. He also has a granddaughter. He is distantly related to

Marty Embry Marty Embry (born March 28, 1964) is an American chef, entrepreneur and former professional basketball player. Basketball career At 6'9, 270 lbs., he was drafted out of DePaul University in the 4th round of the 1986 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz ...

, another professional basketball player. He has been a founder and CEO of his own businesses, and member of numerous nonprofit and corporate boards of directors, including Kohl's, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Centerior Energy and Ohio Casualty Insurance. He is the author of an autobiography ''The Inside Game: Race, Power and Politics in the NBA'' (University of Akron Press, 2004), with Mary Schmitt Boyer of the ''Cleveland Plain Dealer''. Embry has been a trustee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame since 1974 and has served on various senior-level committees for the NBA and USA Basketball. In recognition of his career both on the court and in the front office, he was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame as a contributor to the sport in 1999. He also served as a member of Miami's Board of Trustees for 14 years, including one year as chair. Embry was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 as a member of the charter class. He was the 2013 recipient of the Ohio Heritage Award, recognizing an Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame inductee for his or her contributions to the state of Ohio off the court. A portion of US Route 40 in front of Tecumseh High School near Springfield, Ohio was named in Wayne Embry's honor. On May 18, 2021, Miami University unveiled a statue which stands at the south entrance of Millett Hall, the university's basketball arena. It captures Embry’s likeness and signature hook shot. Private donations funded the creation of the statue and a Wayne Embry Scholarship, which will support Miami varsity men’s basketball student-athletes. The university also presented Embry and his late wife, Theresa “Terri” Embry (Miami ’60), with the Freedom Summer of ’64 Award, which is bestowed each year upon a distinguished leader who has inspired the nation to advance civil rights and social justice.

References

External links

* * Wayne Embry'
Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Speech
*Wayne Embry'
Miami University statue dedication and Freedom of '64 Award Ceremony

Embry interview in 1973 AFVN radio aircheck
!--Event begins at 3:35--> {{DEFAULTSORT:Embry, Wayne 1937 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen African-American sports executives and administrators American expatriate basketball people in Canada American men's basketball players American sports executives and administrators Basketball players from Ohio Boston Celtics players Centers (basketball) Cincinnati Royals players Cleveland Cavaliers executives Miami RedHawks men's basketball players Milwaukee Bucks executives Milwaukee Bucks expansion draft picks Milwaukee Bucks players Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees NBA All-Stars NBA general managers National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Power forwards Sportspeople from Springfield, Ohio St. Louis Hawks draft picks Toronto Raptors executives