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Quote:May 8th, 2008



East Rutherford, NJ – The New Jersey Nets have promoted Kiki Vandeweghe to the position of General Manager, Nets President Rod Thorn announced today. Vandeweghe originally joined the Nets as Special Assistant to the President on December 31, 2007. As per team policy, terms of the contract were not released.



“We are very pleased that Kiki will continue his relationship with the Nets organization, “said Thorn. “When Kiki joined us in December, I felt that his experience as both an All-Star player and front office executive would be an invaluable asset to both myself and the franchise, and his work in the ensuing months has reinforced that belief. This new position solidifies his relationship with Nets basketball.”



“I am very excited about continuing my involvement with the Nets organization,” said Vandeweghe. “I want to thank Mr. Ratner and Rod for the opportunity, and I look forward to working with Rod, the coaching staff and the players as we attempt to re-establish the Nets as one of the premier teams in the Eastern Conference.”



Since joining the Nets, Vandeweghe has played a key role in guiding the team’s basketball operations. In addition to overseeing the Nets scouting process, he was instrumental in developing the mid-season trade which brought the Nets Devin Harris and two first round draft picks from the Dallas Mavericks.



Vandeweghe served as general manager of the Denver Nuggets from 2001-2006, where he oversaw all aspects of basketball operations for the team. In his five years in Denver, Vandeweghe drastically reshaped the look and future of the Nuggets. In the summer of 2003, Vandeweghe lured free agents Andre Miller, Jon Barry, Earl Boykins and Voshon Lenard to Denver and selected reigning Final Four MVP Carmelo Anthony with the third pick in the draft. Teamed with All-Rookie First Team forward Nenê and veteran Marcus Camby – both of whom Vandeweghe acquired in a draft-day deal from New York in 2002 - the Nuggets improved their win total by 26 games and reached the postseason for the first time since 1995. The 26-game improvement was the most ever by a team that won less than 20 games the year before. His club also became the first in the history of the NBA to go from less than 20 wins to the playoffs the next year (since going to an 82-game schedule in 1976). The following season, Vandeweghe engineered a trade with New Jersey to acquire All-Star forward Kenyon Martin.



Prior to joining the Nuggets, Vandeweghe spent two seasons as an assistant coach and director of player development for the Dallas Mavericks. Under his tutelage, Dirk Nowitzki blossomed into a superstar and helped lead Dallas to its first playoff appearance in more than a decade.



Vandeweghe began his 13-year playing career with Denver in 1980. Originally selected with the 11th overall pick of the 1980 NBA Draft by Dallas, he was acquired on Dec. 3, 1980 and played the following four seasons for the Nuggets. A two-time All-Star while with Denver, Vandeweghe continued his playing career in Portland for four and a half seasons, followed by three and a half seasons in New York, before concluding his career with the L.A. Clippers in 1993. Over his 13-year NBA career Vandeweghe’s teams qualified for the postseason in 12 seasons. In 810 games, Vandeweghe posted NBA averages of 19.7 points on 52.5% shooting, 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.



Ernest Maurice Vandeweghe, III was born Aug. 1, 1958, in Weisbaden, Germany, where his father was stationed as an Air Force physician. His nickname, Kiki, was given to him early in childhood and is German for curly headed.



A native of Los Angeles, Vandeweghe attended UCLA from ’76-80 and led the Bruins to the national title game his senior season under head coach Larry Brown. He received his degree in economics and was a Rhodes Scholar finalist. Following retirement from the NBA, Vandeweghe formed a financial planning business and ran basketball clinics throughout the United States and Europe. Vandeweghe and his wife Peggy, who earned an engineering degree from Louisiana State University, have one son, Ernest Maurice IV, born in 2002.