Morgan Cato still felt relatively anonymous after becoming the first Black woman to be named an assistant general manager with an NBA team recently. But that all changed when the new Phoenix Suns executive was approached by a fellow Black woman who was very moved by the groundbreaking news. “Literally as the news broke, I was heading to LA for the women’s Sportico conference to speak about being a woman in a space that is traditionally male-dominated,” Cato recently told Andscape. “And after the conference, a young Black woman came up to me and said, ‘I just wanted to say hello and just say thank you.’ And she immediately started crying. And she says, ‘I just don’t see women that look like me in this world.’ And we sat down together, and we cried together.
Tag: Morgan Cato
What conversations have you had with …
What conversations have you had with Monty since you’ve taken the job? Morgan Cato: He’s just really, really excited. So, I took one quick trip to Phoenix, one-day trip. And I met with the guys after practice and came in. James said, ‘Show up downtown.’ I’m like, ‘OK, this is me in my corporate space. What’s the agenda? What are we doing?’ And he’s like, ‘Morgan, come by at 10.’ I’m like, ‘All right, just going to show up. …’ And right after they finished practice and Monty’s downstairs with the guys. And this is when I knew this is going to be a good environment. Because they just finished practice, everyone’s sitting around like it’s a barbecue. They’re in the weight room, talking, laughing — coaches, players, etc. And they’re just there.
Suns hiring Morgan Cato as assistant GM
The Phoenix Suns are hiring the NBA’s Morgan Cato as assistant general manager and vice president of basketball operations, making her one of the NBA’s highest-ranking women in a league front office, sources told ESPN.
Cato — who’ll also become the first …
Cato — who’ll also become the first woman of color to hold the title of assistant GM — will report to GM James Jones and work with coach Monty Williams on several fronts, including the leadership and strategy related to coaching development, player engagement and front office personnel operations, sources said.