Steve Mills (sports executive)

Education

Mills attended the Friends Academy in Locust Valley, and Princeton University where he graduated in 1981 with a B.A. in Sociology. He played Princeton basketball under the tutelage of legendary coach Pete Carril.

Career

Mills played professional basketball in Ecuador for a year. He worked for the National Basketball Association for sixteen years beginning in 1984 after having worked at Chemical Bank. Mills ascension while at the NBA was notable. He was an account executive in the corporate sponsorship department of NBA properties and program manager for NBA properties. He became vice-president of special events, after which he was senior vice-president of Basketball and Player Development, Mills then became Chief operating officer and Sports Business President of Madison Square Garden in 2003. His duties at MSG included supervising day-to-day operations, including finances, business strategies of the NBAs New York Knicks, NHL's New York Rangers and the WNBA's New York Liberty. All sports related activities were under his jurisdiction, including boxing, college basketball and track & field.

In 2009, Mills left MSG and joined Magic Johnson Enterprises where he helped create the Athletes & Entertainers Wealth Management Group, LLC (A&E). of which he was a partner.

On September 26, 2013, the New York Knicks announced Mills would be the executive vice president and general manager of the organization.

On July 14, 2017, after announcing that Scott Perry would become the Knicks' newest general manager, the Knicks also announced Mills would be the new president of the organization, replacing the role that was previously held by Phil Jackson.

Memberships

Mills was on the Board of Trustees of USA Basketball and the Board of Trustees of the Basketball Hall of Fame. He currently is on the Board of Advisors for the Hospital for Special Surgery, Board of Directors of Harlem Junior Tennis and Board of Directors Princeton University Varsity Club. He also Co-Chairs the Princeton University Connect Initiative Task Force.

Achievements

Mills was named Black Enterprise's Corporate Executive of the Year in 2003, and was listed as one of the Top Front Office Team Executives on Black Enterprise's 50 Most Powerful Blacks in Sports in 2005.

Personal life

Mills was born on October 6, 1959 in Roosevelt, New York. His father was a teacher and a basketball coach, while his mother was a social worker. He grew up as a Knicks' fan and lived around the corner from NBA legend Julius Erving. Mills and his wife Beverly live in South Orange, New Jersey and have two daughters.