John Calipari Sends Message About Thunder's Executive After NBA Title
The headlines and accolades following a championship in any sport typically go to the best players and coaches. Often, fans may forget or simply not understand the role played by those who work behind the scenes for a franchise.
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On Tuesday, Arkansas men's basketball coach John Calipari paid compliments to Oklahoma City Thunder Vice President and Chief of Staff Glenn Wong, who is the son of a colleague who dates back to his days at UMass in the late 1980s.
Wong was in his first season in this role and his 12th year with Oklahoma City. His duties include "overseeing day-to-day operations, facilitating cross-discipline collaboration and managing the flow of information for staff and players," according to his Thunder bio.
His father, also named Glenn Wong, is now a Distinguished Professor of Practice at Arizona State University. He spent 36 years as a member of the faculty in the Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management at the University of Massachusetts' Isenberg School of Management.
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Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari praised OKC's Vice President and Chief of Staff Glenn. WongNelson Chenault-Imagn Images
Calipari began his tenure as the UMass head coach in 1988. In the 1991-92 season, the Minutemen made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. A Final Four appearance in the 1995-96 season elevated Calipari's profile, and he would go on to coach the New Jersey Nets from 1996 to 1999 before eventually returning to the college ranks in 2000 at the University of Memphis.
Calipari was presumably giving a shoutout to Wong, given his long relationship dating back to his earliest coaching days and because the Thunder secured the franchise's first-ever NBA title in a 103-91 Game 7 win over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
Related: John Calipari's Immediate Reaction to Arkansas Star's Transfer Portal Decision
Related: 9th Prospect Withdraws From NBA Draft Within 24 Hours
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
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