The former general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers and president and general manager of the New Jersey and Brooklyn Nets, Billy King, has been hired as managing director in the Private Equity Group and Sports Group of ZRG, the global talent firm, and its TurnkeyZRG, sports, entertainment & media division, according to a Monday announcement from the Rochelle Park-based firm.
“Too many search firms today are really just sales firms. Talent recruitment is supposed to be about building winning teams. Billy King at Duke, Billy King as a coach, Billy King in the NBA and Billy King in his personal journey has always had a knack for spotting talent, getting the most out of talent and creating winning teams with the exact right talent choices. TurnkeyZRG is blessed to have Billy join our team,” Len Perna, TurnkeyZRG’s chairman and CEO, said.
“’Coach K’ (Mike Krzyzewski, who he played for at Duke) taught me a long time ago that teams are about trusting each other and working together. You have to have each other’s back in order to succeed as a team. Talent recruitment and the chance to help our clients build high-functioning, winning teams is my passion. Doing this now with TurnkeyZRG, the top search firm in the industry, is thrilling. I’ll do my best to make us better and make our clients better,” King said.
“We are thrilled to have Billy participate in the private equity team at ZRG. His combination of sports and business expertise, coupled with his incredible professional network, will allow us to continue to drive opportunities to help our private equity clients leverage talent to drive value across their portfolios,” Rich Herman, managing partner and Global Private Equity Practice leader, ZRG Partners, said.
King joins TurnkeyZRG with over two decades of experience in sports & entertainment. Prior to his time in executive search, he was co-host of “The WIP Morning Show” in Philadelphia while also serving as a studio analyst for NBA TV. Along with his radio and TV hosting duties, King was president of Elfus Sports, where he worked as an agent for basketball coaches and general managers. In addition, he was the president of ReachMe Sports, a division of ReachTV based in Los Angeles. ReachTV is a multichannel, multiplatform network that has a reach of 100 million viewers.
Prior to his time as GM of the 76ers, King served as an assistant coach of the Indiana Pacers for four seasons. He was also an assistant coach at Illinois State University from 1989-1993 before joining the professional ranks.
“With over 20 years’ experience working in the NBA, Billy has built a vast network in and outside the sports world. Now, partnering with TurnkeyZRG, together they’ll provide unparalleled service,” Marc Lasry, co-founder and CEO of Avenue Capital Group and former owner of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, said.
King currently serves on the board of directors for USA Field Hockey, Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation and Alex’s Lemonade Stand, where he developed a special bond with the charity’s namesake.
