Chris Grancio, Adidas’ global basketball general manager, has joined Independent Sports & Entertainment, the athlete management and sports-related investment company controlled by billionaire Ron Burkle, as chief marketing officer.
An Adidas spokesperson confirmed that Grancio had left. The company has actively started the recruitment process for his successor. In the interim, Rebecca Jury, VP of product marketing for basketball, is assuming the leadership role for the basketball business until a permanent successor is confirmed.
Grancio, 41, had been general manager global basketball since May 2014. He managed the brand’s partnership with the NBA and player endorsement contracts, including the recent signings of James Harden and Andrew Wiggins. His role also included related product creation and merchandising.
A longtime Adidas employee, Grancio was head of global basketball sports marketing at Adidas from May 2010 to May 2014, global director, NBA Partnership from September 2008 to May 2010 and business unit director – basketball, Adidas America from June 2006 to September 2008.
The change comes as Nike is set replace Adidas as the NBA’s on-court uniform and apparel supplier in the 2017/18 season,
At Independent Sports & Entertainment, Grancio is in charge of growing the business into new revenue channels, developing corporate partnerships and strategic public relations, as well as securing local, national and global brand expansion opportunities for ISE’s more than 300 NFL, NBA and MLB clients.
According to a statement, he will build upon ISE’s top-tier athlete representation practice to expand ISE across multiple categories including new sports divisions, brand consulting, film, digital content, television, fashion, live event, retail and hospitality industries.
“Chris has a proven track record as a leader in sports marketing. His talent and experience will further enable us to effectively build on our excellent client representation foundation and benefit our clients. Bringing Chris on is another step to further position our company for growth. I am looking forward to having Chris on our leadership team as we expand beyond our agency representation business,” said Hank Ratner, ISE president and CEO.
“Ron Burkle, Hank Ratner and the ISE team are creating one of the most innovative companies in sports. ISE has an incredible opportunity to seamlessly connect our world class athletes with brands across sports, entertainment and media like no one else. I am excited to be joining this great team to help accelerate growth and build for the future,” said Grancio.
Grancio will report to Ratner and work out of ISE’s Los Angeles Office.
Independent Sports & Entertainment noted that while at Adidas, Grancio managed the 11-year partnership between Adidas and the NBA, player endorsement contracts, the company’s elite global recruiting programs and premier grassroots events. Under Grancio’s leadership, Adidas experienced significant growth in their global NBA basketball business, established partnerships with more than 20 NBA teams and led the launch of the first-ever modern short sleeve jersey.
Photos courtesy Adidas and Independent Sports & Entertainment
