Inside The Wizards

Maybe Ted Leonsis Cares About The Wizards After All

With the recent news of Ted Leonsis relieving Tommy Sheppard of his President and General Manager duties, perhaps this is a sign that he does care about the Wizards franchise.

Candi Waller

Maybe Ted Leonsis Cares About The Wizards After All
Maybe Ted Leonsis Cares About The Wizards After All /
In this story:

Just when you thought Ted Leonsis wasn’t paying attention, he proved that he is.

After the Wizards have failed to make the playoffs in two consecutive seasons, Ted Leonsis relieved President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard of his duties. This news is coming just after the Washington Capitals relieved head coach Peter Laviolette of his duties after the Capitals did not make the post season.

Washington Wizards fans have long felt that Leonsis “cared more” about the Capitals than the Wizards. With the Capitals not making the post season after Alexander Ovechkin’s historic season, it was anticipated that changes would be made. The Wizards however, was more of the same so this change of giving Sheppard his walking papers is indeed a shock.

Tommy Sheppard was up first for the team’s end of season media availabilities on Monday, April 10. He opened with sharing how disappointed he was in the season and “it hurting” that he was there to speak to the media and the team not preparing for a playoff game. There was no indication, at that time, that Sheppard would be relieved of his duties.

That’s not to say that he should not have been relieved given this is not just two years of disappointment. Sheppard was with the Wizards organization since 2003 and worked under previous General Manager Ernie Grunfeld for the majority of that time. A rundown of what Sheppard’s tenure has been like can be found here:

Wizards Trade Of Rui Hachimura Latest Example of Two Decade Long String Of Bad Drafting

In summary, Sheppard’s tenure has not been good.

There were already many questions leading into the Wizards offseason.

Will the team re-sign Kyle Kuzma?

Will the team re-sign Kristaps Porzingis?

Now add Who will be the next General Manager of the Washington Wizards? Just when we thought Ted Leonsis wasn’t watching the Wizards, he was and this change at the leadership level proves he did not like what he saw.

Wizards fans, it’s safe to say the Ernie Grunfeld era is finally over. 

Published
Candi Waller
CANDI WALLER

Candi Waller also known as "CWall" is the Founder and CEO of CWall® Sports & Entertainment, President of the CWall Foundation, Inc, the Managing Publisher of the Fan Nation Inside the Wizards site, and President of Bowie Television. A native of Gorgeous Prince George's County, Maryland, Candi has been an authentic lover of all sports since her childhood. She was such a sports fan at an early age that she notes one of her favorite childhood shows as the legendary "George Michael Sports Machine". Candi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Hampton University, Master of Arts in Human Resource Development from The George Washington University and a certificate in Sports Industry Essentials from Columbia University.  Prior to and during her work in the sports industry, Candi has established her identity as a results-driven, relationship building advocate and professional with extensive years of experience leading and implementing successful strategic change, communications, and stakeholder engagement programs across geographically dispersed organizations. She’s worked across Big Four and Government Trusted Advisor consulting firms such as IBM, Deloitte, and the MITRE Corporation. She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Women in Sports & Events (WISE), the National Press Club (NPC), the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), the Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce and is an ambassador for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. In terms of what she likes to do for fun, that’s just it…anything that is considered fun, she’s all for it! She’s very close to her parents, brother, and sister, and has a host of nieces, nephews, and godchildren. 

Home/Washington Wizards News