The leadership shake-up was announced less than three weeks after the start of the season and Tremaglio, who traveled to Denver to see the Nuggets’ opening night victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 24 and met with the Indiana Pacers this week, had given no prior indication she was leaving. Key NBPA personnel remain pleased with the recently completed labor deal and the agreement had no role in Tremaglio’s exit, according to a person with direct knowledge of the union leadership’s thinking.
“I am extremely proud of what we accomplished together in collective bargaining and over the past two years as a whole,” Tremaglio said in a statement. “With a new CBA in place, I am ready to move on from this role and pursue other opportunities. … I’m confident that Andre will flourish in this role and continue to empower the players and this union to reach their full potential.”
Iguodala, 39, will serve as the union’s acting executive director, though it remains unclear whether this will evolve into a permanent role. He is expected to meet with NBPA staff members at their Manhattan headquarters in the coming days, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
Traditionally, the NBPA’s leadership structure has included an executive director with a legal background and an executive committee composed of active players. Iguodala will work alongside New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum, who has served as president of the union’s executive committee since 2021.
If Iguodala were to assume the executive director role on a permanent basis, he would become the first former player to hold the position. Alex English, a former NBA player, briefly served as interim executive director in 1996 before Hunter was hired.
“Having a former player lead as executive director of the union is an exciting proposition,” McCollum said.
Iguodala, 2004 lottery pick who won four NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors and announced his retirement in October following a 19-year playing career, previously served on the NBPA’s executive committee for 10 years. Iguodala launched a venture capital firm last month and is a co-owner of a Tomorrow Golf League franchise, among other sports investments.
“I am honored to take on this role and serve the players, who are the heart and soul of the NBA,” Iguodala said in a statement. “I’m presented with a unique opportunity to take all that I’ve learned as a player over the course of my 19-year career and apply it to creating an even stronger and more influential union for current and future generations of players.”
The NBA’s new labor agreement runs through the 2029-30 season, although both sides can opt out before the final season. The NBA’s media rights agreements are set to expire after the 2024-25 season, and the league is seeking a significant revenue increase in its next round of deals with Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery.
Tremaglio was tasked by the NBPA with finding new sources of income for the organization’s members, and McCollum said Tremaglio’s dual background as a lawyer and accountant was key to her hiring.
“Her business background is what we need,” McCollum said last year. “It’s the next step in our evolution — not only ways to manage and save our money but ways to grow it. She puts us in position to think more like CEOs, and creating more revenue is always at the forefront of our conversations. We’re looking at where the world is going with streaming devices, gambling, technology, crypto. Ten years from now, who knows, there might be games being played in the metaverse.”
