Expanded 2021-2024 USA Basketball Board of Directors Includes Athlete Representatives and Olympic Gold Medalists Seimone Augustus, Jennifer Azzi, Harrison Barnes, Sue Bird and Kevin Durant

Expanding the USA Basketball Board of Directors from 11 to 15 members, retired General Martin E. Dempsey, the 18^th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has been re-elected chairperson for the 2021-24 quadrennium. The announcement was made Monday following the USA Basketball annual Board of Directors meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  

In addition to Dempsey, also announced as members of the expanded 15-member 2021-2024 USA Basketball Board of Directors were: NBA appointees Kim Bohuny, NBA senior vice president, international basketball operations; and Mark Tatum, NBA deputy commissioner and chief operating officer; NCAA appointees Dan Gavitt, NCAA senior vice president of basketball; Bernard Muir, Stanford University director of athletics; and Chris Plonsky, University of Texas executive senior associate athletics director / chief of staff; at-large representatives Bethany Donaphin, WNBA head of league operations; Gloria Nevarez, West Coast Conference commissioner; and Karissa Niehoff, National Federation of State High School Associations executive director; at-large/independent member John W. Rogers Jr., chairman and co-CEO, Ariel Investments; and athlete representatives: Seimone Augustus, 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medalist; Jennifer Azzi, 1996 Olympic gold medalist; Harrison Barnes, 2016 Olympic gold medalist; Sue Bird, 2004 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 Olympic gold medalist; and Kevin Durant, 2012, 2016 and 2020 Olympic gold medalist.

Dempsey becomes just the second individual elected to consecutive terms as USA Basketball’s chairperson. Jerry Colangelo also served two terms as USA Basketball chairperson in 2008-12 and 2012-16.

“I am honored to continue in my role as chairperson of the Board of Directors for USA Basketball through 2024,” said Dempsey. “I’m very proud of the way our athletes and their families, our coaches, and the USAB staff reacted to the significant challenges we faced on and off the court over the past few years while achieving remarkable success in FIBA competitions, including three Olympic gold medals in Tokyo. We remain unflinchingly and enthusiastically committed to winning and rededicate ourselves to representing our country with honor in international competition.” 

Dempsey retired in 2015 after 41 years of military service. He served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army and as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2011-15). As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff he was the senior officer in the U.S. Armed Forces and the U.S. military advisor to the Secretary of Defense and to President Barack Obama.

Appointed Special Adviser to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in January 2016, in the role, Dempsey provided the NBA with counsel on leadership and service, while continuing to support the league’s military and youth basketball initiatives and in addition, he served as chairman of the newly formed Jr. NBA Leadership Council.

Dempsey has received numerous military awards and decorations both from the United States government and from foreign leaders. In 2011 he received the USO's Distinguished Service Award on behalf of all military members and in 2015, Time magazine named him one of the world's most influential leaders. In October 2016, he was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II, for commitment to British-American defense cooperation. In 2019, the Association of the United States Army awarded Dempsey the George Catlett Marshall Medal for distinguished public service, that organization's highest award. 

He was inducted in 2016 into the Irish America Hall of Fame, and in 2019 he was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame, in the Public Service category.

A 1974 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he has a master’s degrees in literature from Duke University, in military science from the Army Command & General Staff College, and in national security strategy from the National War College. He also has an honorary doctorate degree in law from Notre Dame University.

As a Rubenstein Fellow at Duke University, he teaches leadership and military relations, and management and leadership, and is co-author of the bestselling leadership book “Radical Inclusion: What the Post-9/11 World Should Have Taught Us About Leadership,” and is the author of: “No Time For Spectators: The Lessons That Mattered Most From West Point To The West Wing.”

Officially formed in 1974 and known as the Amateur Basketball Association of the United States of America (ABAUSA), prior chairpersons/presidents of either USA Basketball or ABAUSA include: Dempsey (2016-2021); Colangelo (2009-2012, 2013-2016); Val Ackerman (2005-2008); Tom Jernstedt (2001-2004); Russ Granik(1997-2000); C.M. Newton (1993-1996); David Gavitt (1989-1992); Brice Durbin (1983-1988); Edward Steitz (1981-1984); George Killian (1977-1980) and Clifford Fagan (1971-1976).

Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and led by CEO Jim Tooley, USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the U.S. by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA national teams that compete in FIBA-sponsored five-on-five, 3x3 and esports international competitions, as well as for some national competitions and for the development of youth basketball. 

Fresh from gold medal basketball performances in the men’s, women’s and women’s 3x3 basketball competitions at the Tokyo Olympics, USA Basketball continues to list No. 1 in all five of FIBA’s world-ranking categories: men’s, women’s, combined, boys and girls.  

USA Basketball teams are the current champions in men’s and women’s Olympics; women’s 3x3 Olympics; women’s FIBA World Cup; men’s and women’s FIBA U19 World Cups; men’s and women’s FIBA U17 World Cups; men’s and women’s FIBA Americas U18 Championships; men’s and women’s FIBA Americas U16 Championship; men’s FIBA 3x3 World Cup, and men’s and women’s FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cups.