Philadelphia 76ers president Chris Heck to leave organization at the end of June after nine seasons with the team
According to a statement released by the Philadelphia 76ers this morning, Chris Heck, president of business operations will be stepping down from his role in the organization after nine years with the team.
Heck joined the Sixers in 2013 as chief sales and marketing officer and has filled the president of business operations role since 2017. Scott O’Neil, who also joined the Sixers in 2013 stepped down last summer as CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Sixers and New Jersey Devils. HBSE hired former Rockets CEO Tad Brown to fill that opening.
Full Statement from the Philadelphia 76ers on Chris Heck
CAMDEN – JUNE 7, 2022 – Philadelphia 76ers President of Business Operations Chris Heck announced today that he will depart the organization at the end of June after nine years as he pursues new professional opportunities.
Heck has served as President of Business Operations since 2017 after joining the organization in 2013 as Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. During his tenure, the 76ers built one of the largest season ticket member bases in the NBA, while also setting franchise records for sponsorship growth. Heck also led efforts to reinvigorate the 76ers brand by implementing innovative strategies across marketing, sponsorship activation, game presentation, alumni integration, social media and content.
Additionally, Heck oversaw the growth of the brand to include the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex in Camden, New Jersey, as well as the rebrand and relocation of the 76ers’ G League franchise, the Delaware Blue Coats, to Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware. The Villanova University graduate also led efforts to launch 76ers Gaming Club of the NBA 2K League, which has the winningest record in league history to date.
“I want to thank the leadership of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment for this incredible professional opportunity to lead one of the most important brands in professional sports,” Heck said. “The last nine years have been the most rewarding and challenging of my professional career. Alongside some amazing colleagues, we filled our stands with passionate fans, created memories for a lifetime, and earned the support and loyalty of dozens of world-class partners. Thank you to our tremendously talented marketing, sales, and sponsorship staff at the Sixers – you are the best in the business. And most importantly, thank you to the fans of Philadelphia, you truly are the best in the world.”
“We deeply appreciate Chris’ contributions and leadership over the last nine years,” 76ers Managing Partner Josh Harris and Co-Managing Partner David Blitzer said. “He was instrumental in fueling our business growth and helped establish the 76ers as a truly global brand. Most importantly, Chris had a passion for ensuring the team used its platform to make a positive impact in the Philadelphia community. We wish him much success in the future and thank him for his dedication to the team and city.”
Chris Heck did a bang up job with the 76ers over the past nine years if you can look past last year’s “New Philadelphia” black City Edition jersey debacle. Personally, I still blame Ben Simmons for that entire mess.
To recap, the Sixers released the boathouse row jerseys and Heck went on record saying “blue collar is important for the city, but it’s not the only component” along with the fact that the City Edition jerseys represented a “new Philadelphia.”
Honestly, the comments above weren’t the major issue with the release but rather the fact that Heck also said that the jersey’s represented Philadelphia nightlife while featuring a graphic of Boathouse Row.
That simply made zero sense.
To be fair, Heck did later go on record later saying he hated the black uniforms (thanks, Ben Simmons) and that he regretted the statements he made about them at the time of their release. He then totally redeemed himself with the City Edition jerseys last year, because the Spectrum ones were perfect even if you still can’t buy them.
Anyways, overall it’s hard to argue what Heck did for the Philadelphia 76ers organization while he was here. The Sixers won’t be filling the role themselves. The executive suits from Harris-Blitzer will be responsible for hiring a replacement.
