Sean Marks

{{short description|New Zealand-American basketball executive (born 1975)}}

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Sean Marks

| image = Sean Marks (SiCxU2fa394).png

| caption = Marks in 2025

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 10

| weight_lb = 250

| league = NBA

| team = Brooklyn Nets

| position = General manager

| nationality = New Zealand / American

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1975|8|23}}

| birth_place = Auckland, New Zealand

| high_school = Rangitoto College
(Auckland, New Zealand)

| college = California (1994–1998)

| draft_year = 1998

| draft_round = 2

| draft_pick = 44

| draft_team = New York Knicks

| career_start = 1998

| career_end = 2011

| career_number = 22, 4, 40

| career_position = Power forward/center

| years1 = {{nbay|1998|start}}–{{nbay|1999|end}}

| team1 = Toronto Raptors

| years2 = 2000–2001

| team2 = Śląsk Wrocław

| years3 = {{nbay|2001|start}}–{{nbay|2002|end}}

| team3 = Miami Heat

| years4 = {{nbay|2003|start}}–{{nbay|2005|end}}

| team4 = San Antonio Spurs

| years5 = {{nbay|2006|start}}–{{nbay|2007|end}}

| team5 = Phoenix Suns

| years6 = {{nbay|2008|start}}–{{nbay|2009|end}}

| team6 = New Orleans Hornets

| years7 = {{nbay|2010|full=y}}

| team7 = Portland Trail Blazers

| cyears1 = {{nbay|2013|start}}–{{nbay|2015|end}}

| cteam1 = San Antonio Spurs (asst.)

| highlights = As player:

NBA champion (2005)
Polish League champion (2001)

As assistant coach:

NBA champion (2014)

| stat1label = Points

| stat1value = 638 (2.8 ppg)

| stat2label = Rebounds

| stat2value = 501 (2.2 rpg)

| stat3label = Blocks

| stat3value = 87 (0.4 bpg)

| bbr = marksse01

}}

Sean Andrew Marks (born 23 August 1975) is a New Zealand-American basketball executive and former player and coach who is the general manager of the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the first New Zealand-born player to play in the NBA. Marks won two championships with the San Antonio Spurs: one as a player in 2005 and another as an assistant coach in 2014.

Basketball career

After attending Rangitoto College in Auckland, Marks moved to the United States in 1992 to play for the University of California, Berkeley where he majored in political science, graduating with a BA degree in 1998. He was drafted 44th overall in the 1998 NBA draft by the New York Knicks, and was traded on draft night, alongside Charles Oakley, to the Toronto Raptors for Marcus Camby. Marks would later play for the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}

In 2000–01, Marks started the season with Śląsk Wrocław of Poland, and in December 2000 had an unsuccessful ten-day contract (0 games) with the Seattle SuperSonics, returning to his Polish team until the season ended. In 2003–04, while with the Spurs, he did not play a single second due to patella tendonitis.

In the next season, while playing for the Spurs, Marks averaged 10 minutes per game and produced an average of 3 points and 2 rebounds. That year the Spurs won the NBA championship by defeating the Detroit Pistons in seven games. Marks did not receive any playing time for the Spurs during the 2005 playoffs.

Marks signed with the Phoenix Suns on 27 July 2006, to a one-year contract,{{Cite web |last=McPeek |first=Jeramie |date=July 27, 2006 |title=Suns Sign Sean Marks |url=https://www.nba.com/suns/news/marks_release_060725.html |access-date=2023-11-17 |website=NBA.com |language=en}}

On 16 April 2008, during a win over the Portland Trail Blazers in the Suns last regular-season game, Marks scored a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds, along with 1 steal and 1 block.

File:smarks (cropped).jpg in 2008]]

Marks later signed with the New Orleans Hornets on 28 August 2008.{{Cite web |date=2008-08-28 |title=Marks-ist revolution: Hornets sign ex-Suns PF/C |url=https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=3558384 |access-date=2023-11-17 |website=ESPN.com|agency=Associated Press |language=en}} On 21 October 2010, Marks was waived by the Washington Wizards after he had failed to suit up for a pre-season game because of a hamstring injury. He was signed by Portland in November after the retirement of Fabricio Oberto.

On 24 February 2011, Marks was traded along with Joel Przybilla, Dante Cunningham and two future first-round draft picks to the Charlotte Bobcats for Gerald Wallace.{{cite web | url = http://www.nba.com/bobcats/release_portland_trade_110224.html | title = Cunningham, Przybilla, Marks, 2 First Round Picks Acquired from Portland | work = NBA.com | date = 24 February 2011 | access-date = 25 February 2011 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110628201955/http://www.nba.com/bobcats/release_portland_trade_110224.html | archive-date = 28 June 2011 | df = dmy-all }} The Bobcats waived Marks on March 3, 2011.[http://www.sportspagemagazine.com/content/bb/mp-bb/ln-mp-bb/bobcats-re-sign-forward-dominic-mcguire-waive-sean.shtml?45834 Bobcats Re-sign Forward Dominic McGuire, Waive Sean Marks] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110312234929/http://www.sportspagemagazine.com/content/bb/mp-bb/ln-mp-bb/bobcats-re-sign-forward-dominic-mcguire-waive-sean.shtml?45834 |date=12 March 2011 }}

Internationally, Marks represented New Zealand. He competed in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games, and was part of their fourth-place finish at the 2002 FIBA World Championship held in Indianapolis, US.

Coaching and executive career

Marks retired in 2011.[http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/basketball/6158655/Spurs-coaching-job-awaits-retiring-Sean-Marks Spurs coaching job awaits retiring Sean Marks] In 2012, he was named basketball operations assistant for the San Antonio Spurs and general manager for the Austin Toros.[http://www.nba.com/spurs/bios/sean-marks-director-basketball-operations-toros-general-manager Sean Marks – Director Of Basketball Operations Toros General Manager] He became an assistant coach with the Spurs in 2013.[http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/130919_spurs_front_office_promotions_additions Spurs Announce Front Office Promotions and Additions] The Spurs went on to win the 2014 NBA Finals after defeating the Miami Heat in five games. It was Marks second championship and first as an assistant coach.[http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/basketball/10186457/Spurs-Kiwi-coach-Marks-takes-it-for-the-team Spurs' Kiwi coach Marks takes it for the team] At the start of the following season he returned to the front office, being named assistant general manager.{{cite web|title=Spurs Announce Basketball Operations Staff Promotions and Additions|url=http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/140923_spurs_announce_staff_promotions|website=nba.com|publisher=Turner Interactive, Inc.|access-date=17 February 2016|date=23 September 2014|quote=Sean Marks returned to the front office as an assistant general manager}}

On 18 February 2016, it was announced that the Brooklyn Nets named Marks as the new general manager for the team, and penned a 4-year contract.{{cite web|title=Brooklyn Nets Name Sean Marks General Manager|url=http://www.nba.com/nets/news/2016/02/18/brooklyn-nets-name-sean-marks-general-manager|website=nba.com|publisher=Turner Interactive, Inc.|date=18 February 2016|access-date=18 February 2016}}{{Cite news|title=Sean Marks appointed Brooklyn Nets general manager|url=http://www.newshub.co.nz/sport/sean-marks-appointed-brooklyn-nets-general-manager-2016021907#axzz40CYSJDz5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160219100821/http://www.newshub.co.nz/sport/sean-marks-appointed-brooklyn-nets-general-manager-2016021907#axzz40CYSJDz5|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 February 2016|newspaper=Newshub |date=16 February 2016|access-date=19 February 2016}} Marks told then-owner Mikhail Prokhorov that his vision for rebuilding a team that had collapsed to only 21 wins involved a process that would take several years to execute, and made clear that he was not interested in a repeat of Prokhorov's previous "win now" approach.{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/18848217/all-backfires-how-brooklyn-nets-rebuilding-nothing|title=When 'all-in' backfires: How the Brooklyn Nets are rebuilding from nothing|last=McMullan|first=Jackie|author-link=Jackie McMullan|publisher=ESPN|date=11 March 2017}} Earlier, Prokhorov had acknowledged his previous free-spending strategy was not the best way in the long run to build a champion.{{cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba-u--lessons-learned-from-the-owner-of-the-brooklyn-nets-011805013.html|title=NBA U: Lessons learned from the owner of the Brooklyn Nets|last=Prokhorov|first=Mikhail|author-link=Mikhail Prokhorov|publisher=Yahoo! Sports|date=2 February 2016}} During the third year of Marks' contract, the Nets appeared in the 2019 NBA Playoffs, making it their first appearance since 2015.

On 19 May 2017, Marks was inducted into the Basketball New Zealand Hall of Fame.[http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/basketball/92797084/sean-marks-inducted-into-new-zealand-basketball-hall-of-fame Sean Marks inducted into New Zealand Basketball Hall of Fame][http://www.basketball.org.nz/News/sean-marks-acceptance-of-hall-of-fame-award SEAN MARKS ACCEPTANCE OF HALL OF FAME AWARD]

On 21 April 2019, Marks was suspended for Game 5 of the Nets' contest against the Philadelphia 76ers, due to entering the referees’ locker room after the Nets' Game 4 loss. He was subsequently fined $25,000.{{cite web | first=Benjamin | last=Hoffman | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/21/sports/nets-gm-sean-marks-suspended.html | title=Nets' G.M. Sean Marks Suspended for Entering the Referees' Locker Room | work=New York Times | date=21 April 2019 | access-date=22 April 2019}}

NBA career statistics

=Regular season=

| align="left" | {{nbay|1998}}

| style="text-align:left;"|Toronto

| 8 || 0 || 3.5 || .625 || .000 || .500 || .1 || .0 || .1 || .0 || 1.4

| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1999}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Toronto

| 5 || 0 || 2.4 || .333 || .000 || 1.000 || .4 || .0 || .2 || .2 || 1.6

| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|2001}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Miami

| 21 || 6 || 15.2 || .432 || .000 || .588 || 3.6 || .4 || .2 || .5 || 4.6

| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|2002}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Miami

| 23 || 0 || 9.7 || .373 || .000 || .667 || 1.5 || .1 || .2 || .3 || 2.3

| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | {{nbay|2004}}†

| style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio

| 23 || 0 || 10.6 || .338 || .000 || .786 || 2.4 || .3 || .1 || .5 || 3.3

| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|2005}}

| style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio

| 25 || 0 || 7.2 || .521 || .000 || .583 || 1.7 || .3 || .2 || .3 || 3.2

| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|2006}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix

| 3 || 0 || 5.7 || .333 || .000 || 1.000 || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || .3 || 2.0

| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|2007}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix

| 19 || 0 || 6.8 || .535 || .250 || .632 || 1.9 || .2 || .2 || .5 || 3.1

| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|2008}}

| style="text-align:left;"|New Orleans

| 60 || 5 || 14.0 || .485 || .200 || .682 || 3.1 || .2 || .1 || .6 || 3.2

| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|2009}}

| style="text-align:left;"|New Orleans

| 14 || 0 || 5.4 || .500 || .000 || .400 || 1.6 || .1 || .0 || .2 || .7

| align="left" | {{nbay|2010}}

| style="text-align:left;"|Portland

| 29 || 0 || 7.2 || .432 || 1.000 || .625 || 1.4 || .1 || .1 || .2 || 1.6

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career

| 230 || 11 || 9.9 || .448 || .200 || .665 || 2.2 || .2 || .1 || .4 || 2.8

=Playoffs=

| align="left" | 2008

| align="left" | Phoenix

| 1 || 0 || 3.0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0

| align="left" | 2009

| align="left" | New Orleans

| 5 || 0 || 16.0 || .462 || .000 || .800 || 4.0 || .0 || .6 || .4 || 3.2

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career

| 6 || 0 || 13.8 || .462 || .000 || .800 || 3.3 || .0 || .5 || .3 || 2.7

Personal life

Marks and his wife Jennifer have four sons. The family resides in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Marks became an American citizen in 2007.[http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/2007-11-30-3541900775_x.htm Suns beat Magic for 2nd time, 110–106]