Las Vegas Aces general manager of basketball operations Dan Padover, left, accepts the 2021 WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year award from WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert before Game 2 of the 2021 WNBA Playoffs semi-finals between the Aces and the Phoenix Mercury at Michelob ULTRA Arena on Sept. 30, 2021 in Las Vegas.Ethan Miller/Getty Images
The Atlanta Dream have announced the hiring of Dan Padover as general manager and executive vice-president of basketball operations, with former interim head coach Darius Taylor taking over as assistant general manager.
The appointments Monday round out the leadership team of the WNBA franchise, which has undergone a radical makeover under new ownership after three straight losing seasons.
Padover was WNBA executive of the year the past two seasons as general manager of the Las Vegas Aces.
Before his three-year stint with the Aces, Padover was vice-president of basketball operations for the New York Liberty.
The hiring of Padover and Taylor follows the appointment of long-time WNBA player Tanisha Wright as head coach and former NFL executive Morgan Shaw Parker as president and chief operating officer.
“We set out to create a leadership group with experience building winning teams underpinned by a values-based culture,” Dream owner Larry Gottesdiener said. “Dan is one of the most well-respected executives in the WNBA with a track record that speaks for itself.”
Padover said the the chance “to build an organization from the ground up with new ownership and new leadership in a top-10 market like Atlanta is such a unique and exciting opportunity.”
The Dream have gone through tumultuous changes in the past year. Owner Kelly Loeffler was pressured to sell her 49-per-cent stake in the team after she objected to the league’s social justice initiatives.
The new ownership group is led by Gottesdiener, a real estate investor, and includes former Dream guard Renee Montgomery.
Nicki Collen abruptly stepped down as coach shortly before this past season’s opener to take the head job at Baylor, and the Dream went through two interim coaches, Mike Peterson and Taylor, during a dismal 8-24 campaign.
“My ultimate goal is to help create a model WNBA franchise and bring a championship to the city,” Padover said. “Rebuilds don’t happen overnight, but this organization is now uniquely positioned to create a winning culture.”