Players' Tribune Names Kevin Durant Kobe Bryant's Boss

Big news in sports journalism today. Biiiiiig news. Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant has accepted the position of Deputy Publisher at The Players’ Tribune, the outlet that cuts out media middlemen and lets pro athletes tell their agents’ brand messaging content directly to fans with no filters.

As FTW helpfully illustrated with an org chart, this means Durant will be the Tribune’s second-in-command, reporting directly to Founding Publisher Derek Jeter. In his role as Jeter’s deputy, he likely will be charged with the day-to-day work of the publisher—managing business relationships, overseeing quality control, making budget decisions, etc.—so that Jeter may focus on high-level editorial strategy and big-picture concerns. It’s a demanding, high-stakes job in the fast-paced world of online media, but Durant averages 24.6 points per 36 minutes in the playoffs, and you can’t expect more than that from a high-level media executive.

Interestingly, he’ll be Editorial Director Kobe Bryant’s immediate superior at the Tribune. This could be a source of tension in the newsroom; Bryant, a famously proud and strong-willed journalist, has never had to go through an intermediary to get his editorial initiatives on Jeets’s desk before. Bet that’s gonna make for some awkward Monday morning status meetings.

Photo via AP

Contact the author at albert.burneko@deadspin.com or on Twitter @albertburneko.