I was reading through some basketball news today, and something caught my eye pretty quickly.
On Tuesday, the Dallas Wings WNBA team announced that they signed their franchise player Skylar Diggins to a three-year contract extension through the 2019 season. That news -- not unlike Emma Meesseman's extension -- isn't unexpected though it was done a full year earlier than necessary.
Though the WNBA and women's basketball fans will look at Diggins' signing as the big story, that didn't catch my eye as much as the person who gave a statement on it. The emphasis is mine.
"We are excited to know Skylar will be wearing a Dallas Wings jersey for the foreseeable future," said General Manager Greg Bibb. "She is, and will continue to be, a cornerstone of our franchise. She is one of the most talented guards in the WNBA and we think she is going to continue to progress while leading our team in our pursuit of a WNBA Championship."
@DWingsHoops we're just getting started. #blessed pic.twitter.com/snN0QUTQRM
— Skylar Diggins (@SkyDigg4) March 16, 2016
So, who's Greg Bibb?
Bibb is a sports business executive who spent nearly a decade in Washington. He started with Lincoln Holdings (the entity that is now Monumental Sports) by assuming the Mystics' Chief Operations Officer position in 2007 until the end of 2012.
While with the Mystics, Bibb oversaw all business aspects for the team which include ticket sales, community service initiatives, and the like. Bibb was also heavily involved with the basketball operations' front office and has prior experience as a general manager for the Philadelphia KiXX Major Indoor Soccer League before coming to the Mystics.
Bibb also became the Wizards' Executive Vice President of Business Operations where he handled the same duties after Lincoln Holdings bought the Wizards in 2010. He left the Wizards at the same time he left the Mystics.
Since he left Monumental, Bibb founded Capital Sports Ventures, a sports-focused investment and advisory firm based in Arlington, Virginia. Capital Sports Ventures where he is the CEO. Monumental Sports minority owner Fredrick Schaufeld serves as a member of the Board of Directors.
According to Fort Worth Business, Bibb assumed the Wings' GM role in November 2015. His company profile still shows up on Capital Sports Ventures' site so he is still apparently working there. And this is speculation on my part, but it won't be a surprise to see Bibb live primarily in the D.C. area though he is working for Dallas since the WNBA season is only during the summer time.
In addition to Schaufeld, Dallas Wings majority owner Bill Cameron is also a member of the Capital Sports Ventures' Board of Directors. Cameron is also the chair of Arlington, Virginia-based Amazon Conservation Team so he has some ties to the nation's capital as well.
In closing, I'm happy to see that Bibb is back around the game of basketball and wish him the best of luck with the Wings. They are poised to be one of the Western Conference's contenders given the amount of young talent they have.
But when they play the Mystics -- who also have a lot of young talent -- you know who we're rooting for. The team in Monumental Red, White and Blue.