Neil Olshey

Neil Olshey (born January 10, 1965) is an American executive and the general manager for the Portland Trail Blazers.[1] Prior to that, he was general manager and vice president of basketball operations of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Early life and education

Olshey, a graduate of Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York where he played on the D3 lacrosse team. Neil grew up in Flushing, Queens where he attended Xavier High School in Manhattan.[2][3][4]

Career

Olshey originally sought to become a professional actor following his graduation from college, and moved to New York City to pursue this career. He appeared in television commercials and print advertisements, and had roles on All My Children, One Life to Live, and Loving before moving to Los Angeles.[5]

Olshey later served as director of player development for SFX Sports Group, Inc., where he created, organized and conducted NBA pre-draft training camps that produced 15 lottery picks, 25 first-round selections and 57 current NBA players.[5] He was also an assistant coach at Artesia High School in Lakewood, California, where he coached future UCLA and NBA player Jason Kapono.

Prior to the start of the 2003–04 season, he joined the Los Angeles Clippers as director of player personnel and became an assistant coach at the beginning of the 2004–05 season. Prior to the start of the 2008–09 season, Olshey was elevated to the position of assistant general manager.[6] He was named general manager on March 9, 2010, upon the firing of Kevin Pritchard.[7]

He appeared as himself on the IFC series Portlandia in episode 7 "Trail Blazers" of season 4.[8]

References

1. trailblazers (n.d.). "Neil Olshey Named Trail Blazers General Manager". Portland Trail Blazers. Archived from the original on June 6, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2012. The Portland Trail Blazers have named Neil Olshey as a lund the team’s general manager, Team President Larry Miller announced today.
2. Kevin Arnovitz (May 11, 2012). "The man behind Clippers' rise". ESPN. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
3. Mark Heisler (February 4, 2012). "Clippers Give N.B.A. a Jolt That Just Might Endure". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2015. Another Clipper from left field, Olshey, 47, grew up in Flushing, Queens, and attended Xavier High School, 19 blocks from Madison Square Garden.
4. Jason Quick (June 4, 2012). "Trail Blazers hire Neil Olshey as general manager after Olshey shuns Clippers". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
5. "Olshey's Unconventional Journey". Retrieved 2010-03-10.
6. "Clippers, general manager Dunleavy part ways". Archived from the original on 2010-03-21. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
7. Dillman, Lisa (2010-03-10). "Clippers' Neil Olshey worked his way up from bit parts to leading role". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
8. Christine N. Ziemba (April 10, 2014). "Portlandia Review: "Trail Blazers"". Paste. Retrieved April 23, 2015. Expectations were raised even further with the casting of the Portland Trail Blazers’ basketball team and general manager Neil Olshey to guest star opposite the dynamic duo.