BY: Marci Bryant
From Katherine Johnson to Mae Jemison, we are constantly inspired by African American women who make history by breaking through professional barriers in male-dominated industries. Georgia native Tori Miller has joined the ranks of these outstanding women as the first female General Manager in the G-League, the NBA’s official minor basketball organization, offering her executive talents to the College Park Skyhawks.
Miller, who is from Decatur, Georgia, graduated Cum Laude from the University of Miami with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
She started her professional NBA career as a Basketball Operations Intern for the Phoenix Suns, a role she obtained after a successful marketing and sales internship with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
During her interview with J. Dycus at the Chattanoogan.com, she recalls her role with The Suns by saying, “My internship with The Suns was initially for one season. Then, they brought me on for another season. But then, after that, there were no full-time opportunities for me within the organization.”
Like all trailblazers, Miller refused to let the lack of opportunity interrupt her dream of NBA front office leadership. Instead, she decided to continue working toward her goal by volunteering her efforts as a scout for various NBA teams. She wrote detailed reports for various players at local universities, such as Georgia Tech and Georgia State.
She analyzed G-League games very closely and delivered monthly reports about the players to all 30 of the NBA teams with player details in order to let them know who was the best for callouts.The year of talent scouting allowed Miller to gain experience and exposure, which resulted in her landing a leadership role in 2017 with the Erie BayHawks (currently Atlanta SkyHawks) as Manager of Basketball Operations. She excelled in that role for two years before accepting the position as Assistant General Manager of the College Park Skyhawks for one year, which ultimately led to her historic hiring as the team’s General Manager in July 2020.
Miller’s determination and perseverance allowed her to create opportunities when there were none in existence. Those two traits have been essential to her success as a rising sports executive. She revealed in an NBA.com interview just what kept her going through her difficult times.
“It’s pretty simple. My motivation is that I believe in making the impossible possible. I think that mindset creates opportunities. That’s what I always revert back to and keep fighting. I know I want to be a gamechanger. You have to believe in making the impossible possible.”
She is excited to be a beacon of inspiration for young girls who are currently dreaming of corporate roles in the sports industry. Reflecting on her new position and opportunities for growth, Miller told The Atlanta Voice, “I want to be a star in my role here and be the best GM that I can be for the College Park SkyHawks. I want to continue to grow the organization, our players and our staff. As my career evolves, my ultimate goal is to be a GM of an NBA team one day.”
As she leads the College Park SkyHawks, Miller is quickly learning how the pandemic is forcing corporate executives to find new ways of doing business safely and efficiently. When asked by the Chattanoogan.com how these unique times have impacted the industry, she replied, “During normal times, we would’ve already had the draft and summer league. But we’re still preparing for the draft in October. We’re doing Zoom interviews with prospects to get to know them better as a person. Typically, we’d bring them in for workouts in our facility.
Her exemplary growth, adaptability and accomplishments have paved the way for women who want to advance in basketball and other professional sports. Even women who aren’t interested in sports but have goals of career growth in male-dominated industries, can find inspiration in this historic moment. During an interview with BlackEnterprise.com, Miller discussed the pleasure and responsibility of being influential.
“That’s something that motivates me because it’ll be easier for the next girl who sends out her résumé for that basketball operations internship. It won’t be thrown out because she’s a girl. I can be someone who can break the mold and create a path for others looking to break in.”
Marci Bryant, MBA, is a corporate marketing and sales strategist, bestselling author and the CEO of www.marcibmarketing.com. Connect with her about marketing and sales on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/marcibmarketing and Instagram at @marcibmarketing.