In a bit of surprising news given the lack of rumors or reports around it, the Sparks have made a big hire.
Following a search led by Farhan Zaidi, special advisor to owner Mark Walter, LA will hire Sixers vice president of player personnel Ariana Andonian as the team’s new general manager, as reported by Sabreena Merchant of The Athletic.
After navigating
recent months without a general manager, including the trade deadline, after parting ways with Reagan Pebley midseason, the Sparks will now have a new face set to lead them into another intriguing offseason. This hire also follows the franchise’s recent track record of bringing in executives from outside the league, as Merchant detailed.
This is the third executive hire the Sparks have made out of the NBA in the past year. They hired assistant general managers Zach Knowlton and Nate Nielsen from the Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively, before the 2026 season.
According to Merchant, Andonian has worked in multiple NBA front offices. While she’s been in Philadelphia for the last two seasons, she spent seven years between the Rockets and Grizzlies before that. While with the Sixers, she also served as the general manager of the team’s G League side.
This live story will be updated.
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