Phoenix Mercury hiring Warriors executive Nick U’Ren as general manager
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - The Phoenix Mercury is hiring Golden State Warriors executive Nick U’Ren as general manager, replacing current general manager Jim Pitman at season’s end. Pitman announced that he is retiring after a decade on the job.
Pitman will remain CFO of the Suns and Mercury, with U’Ren taking over as GM after the Mercury’s season ends. U’Ren began his career with the Suns and Mercury, working in various roles, including Suns Director of Video Operations and Mercury Head Video Coordinator, before joining the Warriors as special assistant to the head coach and director of coaching operations.
“I want to thank Jim for his many contributions to the organization. From our very first meeting, Jim was transparent about his likely plans to retire as general manager at the end of this season, which gave us the time needed to find the right replacement to lead the Mercury forward,” said Phoenix Mercury and Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia. “We are excited to have Nick, a veteran basketball executive with four NBA titles under his belt, as the Mercury’s new general manager. We are committed to winning on and off the court, and I am confident that Nick will serve our fans, our community and our organization with passion, dedication and a commitment to excellence, in much the same way that Jim has.”
U’Ren joins the Mercury after plenty of experience with the Warriors, where he spent the past nine years in basketball operations under Bob Myers and Steve Kerr and was a part of four Warriors’ NBA Championship teams (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022).
“I want to thank Mat Ishbia, Josh Bartelstein and Jim Pitman for entrusting me with one of the WNBA’s most storied franchises,” said U’Ren. “There is a clear willingness to invest the necessary resources to build a winning team and culture in Phoenix. That, combined with the great people on and off the court, made this the right opportunity at the right time for my family and me. I also want to thank the Golden State Warriors for the knowledge, experiences and friendships that I gained during my time there.”
U’Ren will report to Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein, working with Bartelstein and Ishbia to lead the Mercury to their fourth WNBA Championship.
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