SAN ANTONIO SPURS GENERAL MANAGER (Odds)

R.C. Buford took over the position of the San Antonio Spurs' General Manager on July 1, 2002.

"I can't say enough about the job R.C. has done for the San Antonio Spurs," said Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich. "He is widely recognized as one of the bright young basketball minds in the NBA. For years he has done a fantastic job behind the scenes and is responsible for a great deal of the success we've enjoyed here in San Antonio. He has grown up as a member of the Spurs family and we're all thrilled with his promotion to General Manager."

As an assistant to Larry Brown in 1984, Buford was instrumental in Bill Self's hiring as an assistant coach for the Jayhawks.

Buford first joined the Spurs in the summer of 1988 as an Assistant Coach on Larry Brown's staff. He spent four seasons as an assistant with the Spurs, including the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons when the team captured back-to-back Midwest Division Titles.

In the summer of 1992 he became the number one assistant for Brown with the Los Angeles Clippers. He spent one season with the Clippers before moving to the University of Florida for the 1993-94 season.

Being friends with Self can't hurt, but Buford's chances of becoming KU's next AD aren't real likely.

Popovich then hired Buford as the Spurs Head Scout in the summer of 1994 and he has been with the team since that time. In the summer of 1997 he was named the Spurs Director of Scouting and then two years later was promoted to his current position of Vice President/Assistant General Manager.

Prior to joining the Spurs in 1988 Buford spent five seasons at the University of Kansas and was a member of the coaching staff when the Jayhawks won the 1988 NCAA Championship.

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"We're fortunate to have a group of talented people in the Spurs organization," said Spurs Chairman Peter Holt. "Our basketball folks have done a great job over the years and both Pop and I feel that this is the appropriate time for R.C. to be promoted to this position."

—Courtesy of NBA.com.