Who is Bryson Graham? Meet Bulls' new top executive charged with task of reviving franchise

Graham spent 15 total years with New Orleans before leaving to take a job with the Atlanta Hawks, but he left his mark with the Pelicans. He scouted almost every solid young player that is currently on New Orleans' roster.

Chicago desperately needs a proper rebuild after a lackluster four seasons. The franchise that houses Michael Jordan's number in the rafters is used to their past winning ways. Graham might just be the man to rekindle those successes.

Here's the latest on the Bulls' new executive hire and what he brings to the team.

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Who is Bryson Graham?

On May 4, Graham was hired by Chicago to become their Executive Vice President of Basketball operations, according to Shams Charania. He joins the franchise after serving as the Hawks' senior vice president of basketball operations.

Just in: The Chicago Bulls are hiring Atlanta Hawks senior vice president Bryson Graham as the franchise's new Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, sources tell ESPN. Graham spent 15 years in New Orleans before joining Atlanta last offseason, rising from an intern… pic.twitter.com/IyolFrnMGl

Prior to Atlanta, Graham joined the Pelicans as an intern. 14 years later, he rose all the way up to become the team's general manager. After leaving for a season with the Hawks, he is heading to the Windy City.

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Bryson Graham career timeline

Graham’s NBA front-office career began in 2010. During the 2010–11 season, he served as an intern with the New Orleans Pelicans. From there, the former Texas A&M basketball player rose steadily through the organization.

The following season, Graham was appointed player development director. He continued his ascent in 2012, becoming a video coordinator and player development coach. He remained in that role for a couple of seasons before being promoted to scouting coordinator in 2014.

In 2017, Graham was promoted to director of college scouting, a position he held for two seasons. After that, he was named the Pelicans’ assistant general manager. In June 2024, he became the team’s general manager, completing a 14-year journey that began as an intern. The following year, he left New Orleans to become senior vice president of basketball operations with the Atlanta Hawks before joining the Chicago Bulls.

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Bryson Graham scouting history

The former intern already has an impressive scouting repertoire of players who have developed well in the NBA. Some notable players that caught his eye are:

• Zion Williamson
• Nickeil Alexander-Walker
• Naji Marshall
• Herb Jones
• Trey Murphy III
• Jose Alvarado
• Dyson Daniels
• Yves Missi 

All of these players are still playing in the NBA and have all had quite solid careers thus far. Many of those players have been established as New Orleans' core.

Dyson Daniels was drafted to the Hawks in 2022, Naji Marshall is currently on the Dallas Mavericks after signing there in 2024, and Jose Alvarado was traded to the New York Knicks in 2026. 

How old is Bryson Graham?

Graham is currently 39 years old. His birthday is on October 2, 1987. He has worked in the NBA since he was an intern with the Pelicans in 2010.

MORE: A look back at when Michael Jordan became a star for Chicago