WVU Men’s Basketball may not have the strongest alumni base in the NBA. Sure, there are current players like Miles McBride and Jevon Carter who excel in their roles.
There is also one of the NBA greats, Jerry West, who proudly represented the Mountaineers at the NBA level. Beyond that, though, there have not been that many WVU alumni who have carved successful careers on the NBA court.
However, former Mountaineer forward Mike Gansey is quickly representing the school beyond the court. As the current President of Basketball Operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, Gansey has immediately turned the team into championship contenders in his first offseason with the team. Read more: How a former WVU forward is quickly turning the 76ers into a championship contender.
Gansey’s early surge to the NBA front office
Before entering the NBA front office ranks, Gansey began his collegiate career at St. Bonaventure. After two seasons with the Bonnies, he transferred to West Virginia.
He averaged 12.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game as a junior, and the Ohio native returned for a standout senior season.
While starting every game for the Mountaineers, Gansey averaged a career high 16.8 points per game and 5.7 rebounds. He also shot an impressive 42.9% from the three-point line.
Over the course of those two seasons, Gansey helped lead the Mountaineers to the Elite Eight as a junior and the Sweet 16 as a senior.
Despite an excellent finish to his college career, Gansey went undrafted in the 2006 NBA Draft. Nonetheless, he still managed to play two seasons in the NBA G League and three playing professionally overseas.
Related: Javon Small shines among former Mountaineers at the NBA Summer League
After ending his playing career, Gansey made the switch to the front office. He began his executive career in 2011 as a basketball operations intern for the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, his first taste as a lead executive came in 2012 when he was promoted to the Director of G League Operations for the Canton Charge
Three seasons later, the Cavaliers promoted him to general manager of the Charge. During his five-year span with the Charge, he helped guide them to the playoffs every year.
Gansey capped off his tenure with the Charge by earning NBA G League Executive of the Year honors for the 2016-17 season. That was enough for the Cavaliers to see they found a diamond in the rough and promoted once again.
He became the Assistant General Manager of the Cavaliers in 2017, finally getting his start at the NBA level.
Gansey’s path to the 76ers
Once Gansey reached the Cavaliers front office, you could immediately see his impact. This especially came in assisting in draft selections.
During his five-year run as assistant general manager, he played a huge role in the drafting of marquee players like Collin Sexton in 2018, Darius Garland in 2019, and Evan Mobley in 2021.
After proving he had what it took to lead an NBA organization, the Cavaliers promoted him to General Manager in 2022. That turned out to be an excellent decision as the team made the playoffs every year Gansey was the GM.
Following his incredible tenure with the Cavaliers, Gansey joined the Philadelphia 76ers on May 29, 2026, as the President of Basketball Operations.
Gansey has already turned the 76ers into a strong contender for the 2026-27 season.
Just two months into his tenure, Gansey orchestrated a blockbuster trade for five-time NBA All-Star Jaylen Brown. The deal also included trading away Paul George to the Celtics who many NBA analysts describe as having one of the worst contracts in the NBA currently.
Adding Brown to a roster that already features former MVP Joel Embiid and one of the league’s brightest young stars, Tyrese Maxey, is enough to make the 76ers a force in the Eastern Conference.
However, Gansey was still not done strengthening the roster. On July 24, 2026, Lebron James shocked the NBA world and signed with the 76ers on a two-year contract.
Gansey and James were former high school basketball teammates, and now in the final stage of his NBA career, the future Hall of Famer will now help guide a fourth organization to a championship.
In just a couple months, Gansey has seemed to take the 76ers right to the top of the Eastern Conference for next season.
Representing WVU at the highest level
Time will tell if Gansey’s offseason moves will pay off. It can be challenging to find a way for a team with multiple elite stars to work together. However, that’s not Gansey’s job to figure out.
That is up to the coaching of head coach Nick Nurse. Gansey already did his job in bringing in the elite talent.
It is something he has done time and time again in his career. At just 43 years of age, Gansey has already proven himself to be one of the best executives the league has.
He is proving that West Virginia basketball can produce some of basketball’s elite minds, whether it comes on the court or off it.
