Canada’s Onsi Saleh is moving up.
The Atlanta Hawks promoted the Edmonton native to president of basketball operations and signed him to a long-term contract extension, the team announced on Wednesday.
Saleh spent just one season as general manager of the Hawks, leading them to a 46-36 record — including 20 wins in their final 26 games — and a post-season appearance.
He joined the Hawks as an assistant GM in May 2024 after three seasons with the Golden State Warriors and five with the San Antonio Spurs before taking over GM duties last season.
“Onsi possesses a rare combination of valuable leadership qualities and a clear vision that will position our franchise to compete at a championship level. He is a gifted communicator and talent evaluator, widely respected by his peers within the NBA community,” said Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler in a statement. “He has already demonstrated a level of decisiveness and acumen that has changed the trajectory of our organization, and we are delighted to have him lead our basketball operations for a very long time.”
Among Saleh’s key moves was trading star point guard Trae Young to the Washington Wizards in a mid-season trade for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. McCollum played a starring role as the Hawks fell to the eventual East champion New York Knicks in a six-game first-round series.
Saleh graduated from the University of Alberta with degrees in biological sciences and history before obtaining his law degree at Tulane University in Louisiana.