Sachin Gupta Appointed Interim President of Minnesota Timberwolves; First Indian American to Head NBA Franchise

The Minnesota Timberwolves has promoted executive vice president Sachin Gupta as interim president of basketball operations, making him the first Indian American to head an NBA franchise. Gupta, 36, replaces Gersson Rosas who parted ways with the team, Sept. 22, ESPN reported. Gupta’s new role was announced immediately. ESPN reported that “Gupta will operate under an interim tag as Minnesota conducts a ‘broader search’ for Rosas’ replacement.

In its report on Gupta’s promotion, The Athletic noted that “Gupta is well-received by all within the staff and will be given a chance in the No. 1 role as the team begins their search to replace Rosas.”

Gupta was hired as executive vice president of Basketball Operations by the Timberwolves on July 30, 2019. In that role, he oversaw the strategy, performance and Analytics operations for the team, per his profile on The Org, a network of public organization charts for employees at fast-growing startups.

“Gupta’s expertise guided the Wolves in completing a historic trade deadline in February 2020, when the franchise acquired All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell, guard Malik Beasley, forward Juancho Hernangomez, forward James Johnson, forward Jarred Vanderbilt, guard/forward Jacob Evans and forward Omari Spellman,” The Org profile said.

According to his in-depth profile on the NBC India website, Gupta was born to Ram and Meetu Gupta and grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. Following a “very traditional path,” he studied to become an engineer and graduated from MIT. He got his first job at ESPN as a software engineer. “It was at the multi-sport network where Gupta first made a name for himself,” said the NBA India report.

In his two years at ESPN, Gupta is credited with fostering basketball’s analytical movement, implementing advanced NBA metrics on ESPN.com before their use had become widespread across the league. He also became well versed in the CBA when he developed the widely popular NBA Trade Machine.

Although basketball seems to be a popular sport among Indian Americans, there are very few who have made it to the top echelons. The most well-known Indian American face in the NBA circuit is Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé.

Gupta told The Detroit News that he had no idea that Trade Machine would become so popular. “It was actually an idea that came from the NBA editor at ESPN, Chris Ramsey, the son of Dr. Jack Ramsey,” Gupta told The Detroit News. “He came to me with the idea and it was a side project from me; it didn’t come from my boss.” Gupta said “it was a fun project that ended up being a big time-waster for a lot of (fans).”

NBA India report noted that a meeting with Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets, at an alumni gathering for MIT students in the March of 2005, “changed the trajectory and course” for Gupta. He began his NBA career as a special advisor to Morey. “Gupta thrived in this environment, with his voice, and role, growing as he proved his worth,” the Philadelphia magazine said in a 2017 profile on Gupta.

After six years with the Rockets, Gupta left Houston to pursue an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. In 2013, while still pursuing his MBA, he moved to the Philadelphia 76ers, as vice president of basketball operations under Sam Hinkie, the Philadelphia magazine said. The Rockets “were going to try to bring Gupta back once he was finished with his MBA,” the magazine noted, “but his familiarity with Hinkie and the chance to be the #2 man in Philadelphia would make the decision easy, it added. “Gupta would eventually finish the degree while doing double duty with the Sixers.”

The magazine talks about how Gupta’s role with the Sixers “would be characterized by most as being an ‘analytics guy,’ a marginalization rarely done for a team’s second in command,” adding that it’s not surprising given his background in computers. “Truth be told, Gupta’s role with the Sixers rarely involved hands-on work manipulating code or databases, graduating to become a stakeholder of such systems rather than the architect,” the magazine said. “But more important than Gupta’s ability to design a database or tweak a formula was the mindset he brought with him, an application of the scientific process to a field that is still too often controlled by gut instinct.”

After five years with the Sixers, Gupta joined the Detroit Pistons as an assistant general manager, before joining the Timberwolves for the 2019-20 season. “Gupta was one of Ed Stefanski’s first hires as he looked to remake the Pistons’ front office in the wake of the ouster of Stan Van Gundy,” Pistons website noted.

Although basketball seems to be a popular sport among Indian Americans, there are very few who have made it to the top echelons. The most well-known Indian American face in the NBA circuit is Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé.

In September 2020, Sonia Raman made history with her appointment as assistant coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, becoming the first Indian American woman to be appointed assistant coach of an NBA team.

Last December, Suyash Mehta became the first Indian American to officiate as a referee in the NBA league. Mehta, who has been working with the NBA for the past five years, was named to the officiating staff for the 2020-21 season.