Scott Perry (born November 25, 1963) is an American basketball executive and former coach. He served as the general manager for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2017 to 2023. His contract expired at the end of the 2023 season, and the Knicks decided not to bring him back.
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Perry's father, Lowell Perry, was an All-American football player at the University of Michigan in 1951 and went on to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1956, where he later became the first African-American assistant coach in the NFL in 1957. His mother was a Detroit Public Schools journalism teacher who later became an attorney.
Perry was hired as a front office executive for the Detroit Pistons by president Joe Dumars 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).[3] He was part of the front office staff that drafted Kevin Durant 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.[2]
On June 25, 2012, Perry was hired by the Orlando Magic general manager Rob Hennigan to become Hennigan's vice president and assistant general manager.[1] ESPN basketball analyst and former NBA player Chauncey Billups spoke highly of Perry as the assistant general manager of the Magic, saying, "I love Scott Perry in the front office."[4][5] In his time in Orlando, Perry helped draft Victor Oladipo (2013), Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton (2014), and Mario Hezonja (2015).
On April 21, 2017, Perry was hired by the Sacramento Kings as vice president of basketball operations. Three months later, on July 14, 2017, Perry was hired to become the general manager of the New York Knicks.[6] 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.[7]