“I am pleased to be able to welcome Steve back to the Knicks. He is a well-respected sports executive with a strong background in basketball, as well as a familiarity with NBA operations and our company. We look forward to his leadership and believe he is the right person to help us reach our ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship,” said James Dolan, executive chairman of the Madison Square Garden Company, of Steve Mills. “We are grateful for Glen’s [former Knicks President and General Manager Glen Grunwald] many years of valuable service and pleased that he will remain with the organization.”
A 30-year veteran of the sports world, Mills has worked 16 years with the National Basketball Association, where his talents led to a notable ascent from account executive to senior vice president of basketball and player development. This was followed by 10 years at the Madison Square Garden Company, where Mills had a wide range of responsibilities that included overseeing business and basketball operations for the Knicks and Liberty, along with business operations for the Rangers and for all other sports-related activities at the Garden.
“I want to thank Jim for this opportunity to return to the Knicks in this important position. It is an honor and a privilege to work for such a storied franchise, and I look forward to doing whatever it takes to make the Knicks a successful franchise and a team that fans can be proud of, both now and in the future.”
After 10 years with the Toronto Raptors, Grunwald has been with the Knicks in various capacities since 2006 and will continue to work with the organization as an advisor.
Mills’ decade-long career at the Madison Square Garden Company included his role as president of MSG Sports, during which he oversaw all business operations, including marketing and community relations, for the company’s three professional sports teams and sports properties, which included college basketball, boxing and track and field. Mills originally joined the Knicks as executive vice president of franchise operations in September 1999 and became president of sports teams operations for Madison Square Garden in 2001.