ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA â€" Atlanta Hawks co-owner Bruce Levenson says he had dozens of conversations with Danny Ferry over three months as the two discussed what it would take for Ferry to leave the San Antonio Spurs.
Levenson's persistence paid off Monday as Ferry was introduced as the Hawks' president of basketball operations and general manager. Levenson said that Ferry, 45, was the only candidate he interviewed after Rick Sund, who had been general manager for four years, suggested three months ago that it was time to look for new long-term leadership for the team.
"The next morning, I called the San Antonio Spurs and asked permission to talk to Danny," Levenson said, adding that Ferry was the only candidate he interviewed.
Ferry, who played in the NBA from 1990 to 2003, comes to the Hawks after two years as vice president of basketball operations for the Spurs. As general manager for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005 to 2010, Ferry helped build a team that advanced to the 2007 NBA finals.
"I was not looking to leave San Antonio," Ferry said. "I was very happy there. ... Obviously it's a wonderful place to work. But getting to know Bruce over the past several weeks really made me think and challenge myself. Was this the right time and the right thing to do?"
Ferry, who agreed to a six-year contract, sought assurances from Levenson about the ownership's commitment to the Hawks. Levenson and Michael Gearon Jr. are the majority owners of the group, which failed in its attempt last year to sell the team to California developer and pizza chain owner Alex Meruelo.
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