Mike Gansey wants fountains, not drains. Can new 76ers president find a path toward NBA title?

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — Give Mike Gansey a pinch of credit for his acknowledgment of the most obvious part of the condition of the franchise as he takes over — kind of, sort of — the 76ers.

“It’s not a championship caliber team right now,” Gansey said.

Gansey is already at work as Philadelphia’s latest president of basketball operations, trying to find ways to raise the team to a championship level, while deeply hindered by near-untradeable, unwanted contracts tied to aging and unreliable Joel Embiid and Paul George.

Can the Sixers still expect to win a title with Embiid and George on the roster while also trying to build around Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe as the long-term centerpieces for any kind of championship future?

Gansey had few hard solutions — “I just got here,” he noted — at his first press conference Monday at the 76ers’ complex in New Jersey. He certainly can’t solve all that ails the Sixers on Day 1. Those obstacles include closing the gap on the soaring New York Knicks, and getting into the NBA Finals, a task that seems unlikely to be accomplished with Embiid and George on the roster.

The 43-year-old Gansey, a Northeast Ohio native, who played collegiately at West Virginia, was hired last week to replace Daryl Morey. Morey was fired last month after the 76ers were eliminated in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The 76ers were easily ousted by the New York Knicks to end Morey’s sixth season in charge, and the organization quickly decided that someone else would lead the basketball operations department.

Enter Gansey.

Gansey joined the Cavaliers in 2011 and had worked as their general manager since 2022 and will lead a bit of revamped front office. Jameer Nelson, the 2004 AP Player of the Year at nearby Saint Joseph’s, was promoted to general manager and replaced former Sixer Elton Brand.

They will report to former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers, president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which owns the 76ers.

Myers has his own questions about the franchise.

“We have to become great at something, right?” he asked.

Which raises a more pressing question.

Gansey called Myers a “cheat code” to help him in the front office of a franchise that hasn’t advanced past the second round in the East since 2001 or won an NBA title since 1983.

“It’s just like every front office; you’ve got him, he’s an extension of ownership with Josh (Harrs) essentially,” Gansey said. “Any recommendations, any ideas, we’re going to go through them. We’re going to be in alignment throughout the whole organization, Nick Nurse included.”

Gansey said getting Nelson as his GM was a “bit of a sticking point” before he took the job and championed inheriting Nurse for at least one more season on the bench.

Myers said his main goal is to “just be supportive for Mike and the whole staff.”

Uh huh.

Myers was with Golden State for 12 seasons, getting promoted quickly to general manager and eventually being given the title of president as well. The Warriors won four NBA titles in his time there.

When it comes time to make a final decision on a major trade or signing a free agent, it strains all credibility to suggest Myers won’t have a major, major say in making the call.

How does this franchise ever win a championship as long as it’s tethered to an aging, fragile and overpriced anchor in Embiid? The 32-year-old Embiid's three-year, $187 million extension kicks in this season while George is owed more than $110 million over the final two years of his free-agent deal.

Gansey was evasive on Embiid's future — much like he was when a similar question was posed that asked about his part in bringing a washed James Harden to Cleveland — but noted he already had “good conversations” with the two-time NBA scoring champion.

“With him and the roster we have,” Gansey said, “that’s who we have. We’ve got to get those guys on the floor. We’ve got to create an identity. Just get them to play basketball.”

Embiid has played only 96 of 246 regular-season games over the last three seasons.

“We’ve got to find an identity,” Myers said. “I mean, that’s maybe a harsh thing to say. But look at the numbers. We were not elite offensively or defensively. If you’re going to win at the highest level, you’ve got to be great at something.”

The only way to get great, Myers said, is to have a team's best players on the court.

Or, player.

Embiid.

“The good news is this,” Myers said. “There’s no scheduled surgeries this summer. There’s no injury going into the offseason. In the past, there has been that. This is an opportunity to get better, not to play catch-up for Joel, but to actually get better and build on last year. And with that, the hope's that he can be on the floor a lot more.”

The 76ers have the 22nd pick of the June 23 draft, a recent strong suit of the franchise after years of high-profile misses that curtailed the path toward contention.

“We’ve got to hit on that,” Gansey said.

“I want fountains not drains.” — Gansey’s way of saying he wanted high-character players with a desire to play in Philadelphia.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Mike Gansey, the Philadelphia 76ers' new president of basketball operations, speaks during a news conference at the NBA basketball team's training facility, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Camden, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Mike Gansey, right, the Philadelphia 76ers' new president of basketball operations, and 76ers head coach Nick Nurse pose for photographs during a news conference at the NBA basketball team's training facility, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Camden, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Mike Gansey, the Philadelphia 76ers' new president of basketball operations, speaks during a news conference at the NBA basketball team's training facility, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Camden, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Mike Gansey, the Philadelphia 76ers' new president of basketball operations, center, poses for photographs with 76ers managing partner Josh Harris, left, and and Bob Myers, president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, during a news conference at the NBA basketball team's training facility, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Camden, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Mike Gansey, the Philadelphia 76ers' new president of basketball operations, speaks during a news conference at the NBA basketball team's training facility, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Camden, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump was booed loudly by fans inside Madison Square Garden when he was shown on video screens during the national anthem as he became the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game.

Chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” echoed through the arena as Avery Wilson sang “The Star-Spangled Banner," but they they gave way to boos moments later as Trump was displayed on the jumbo screens giving a military salute. The jeers ended when the U.S. flag followed him on the screens, and fans cheered when New York Knicks players were shown. Mentions of the San Antonio Spurs also elicited vociferous boos.

The president was unfazed. “It was, I think, mostly cheers,” he told reporters after the game before boarding Air Force One to return to Washington. “It was loud, and it was very enthusiastic.”

Trump watched Game 3 from Knicks owner James Dolan’s suite, along with granddaughter Kai, personal adviser Boris Epshteyn and Cabinet secretaries Lee Zeldin, Sean Duffy and Doug Burgum. He sat next to Dolan for the first quarter and spent part of the second talking to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bruce Blakeman.

Trump’s Marine One helicopter flew from his home in New Jersey and landed near Wall Street before his motorcade made its way up through Manhattan and to the arena roughly an hour before tipoff. He encountered a handful of people making rude gestures, and outside the area, one group held signs saying “Trump must go.”

He settled into Dolan's suite shortly afterward.

During the afternoon before Trump's arrival, the New York Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service set up a large perimeter surrounding Madison Square Garden. Fans lined up to get inside the arena more than four hours before tipoff, in a scene more closely resembling New Year’s Eve in Times Square than the usual leadup to a basketball game.

They were required to provide a ticket or pass to get past various checkpoints, along with going through a Transportation Security Administration-style magnetometer. Secret Service personnel and police were positioned at every corner and in large numbers. Daily commuters, tourists visiting Manhattan and fans were all confounded at various times as they tried to maneuver the security.

After traveling from his home in Florida for the game, Knicks fan Greg Weldon said the main inconvenience faced so far has been the lack of information.

“We’ve asked so many cops, secret service, guys with machine guns, what to do, where should we go,” he said. “Nobody knows.”

Knicks coach Mike Brown and Spurs counterpart Mitch Johnson downplayed any concept of being inconvenienced by the closures and enhanced security because of Trump.

“There’s a lot going on, and I’d much rather be a part of it than not,” Johnson said.

With security stepped up, a watch party outside was canceled, and ticket-holders were not allowed to bring bags inside the Garden. Fans had gathered near the arena to watch games during this playoff run, during which the Knicks have won 13 games in a row to reach the final for the first time since 1999 and move two victories from their first NBA title since 1973.

“We are looking forward to bringing back watch parties for Game 4,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference Monday. "But I think New Yorkers are used to presidents coming to town, and they understand that that generally means lockdowns of areas and that’s what you’re going to see tonight at the Garden.”

The Knicks’ streak was broken Monday night, with the Spurs winning 115-111. Game 4 will be played Wednesday night at the Garden.

This is the latest major sporting event Trump has attended during his time as president, and the security measures have created major hassles for fans.

Thousands of fans missed the start of last year’s U.S. Open men’s singles final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner because of lengthy security lines. Even though the U.S. Tennis Association pushed back the start of the match by a half-hour, many fans still couldn’t get in because added measures meant that they had to go through screening not only when they arrived at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center but again in front of the steps into Arthur Ashe Stadium, where Trump watched from a suite.

Federal law enforcement officials have been reexamining Trump’s security in light of three incidents in the past two years: a shooting at a 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania; the discovery of a man armed with a rifle as Trump played golf in West Palm Beach, Florida, later that year; and the recent shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

Asked Sunday his thoughts on Trump attending, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson said: “Cool, I guess. We can still get out there and play (no matter) who’s here and who’s not.”

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other dignitaries were also at the game, as were Yankees Hall of Famer Derek Jeter and two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Eli Manning of the Giants.

It was already hard enough for Knicks fans to get inside Madison Square Garden because of astronomical ticket prices. The get-in price for a ticket is higher than the average cost of monthly rent in New York, surging over $5,000.

The best seats were listed for tens of thousands of dollars. Mamdani said he bought his ticket, which he said was standing-room-only, for about $1,000 directly from Madison Square Garden.

The difficulty of seeing the game in-person has prompted fans to crowd bars, streets and watch parties all over the city. The watch party near the Garden has become a major event all through the playoffs, but with Trump attending, that event was moved a few blocks away outside the security perimeter, at Bryant Park.

“We improvise,” said Knicks guard Jose Alvarado, who is a New York native. "We're New Yorkers. We’re going to find a way to watch a game, and that’s what we’re doing.”

AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this report.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

President Donald Trump talks with reporters before boarding Air Force One at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, early Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump talks with Knicks owner James Dolan during Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

U.S. Secret Service agents and a U.S. Marine brace against the downdraft as a support helicopter lands before Marine One with President Donald Trump aboard, at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport at Pier 6 in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump gestures during the National Anthem as he attends an NBA Finals playoff basketball game between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026, with Kai Trump, left. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump gestures during the National Anthem as he attends an NBA Finals playoff basketball game between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026, with Kai Trump, left, Knicks owner James Dolan and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, right. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

NYPD officers escort the motorcade of President Donald Trump outside of Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

New York Knicks fans wait in line to enter Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

Secret Service agents stand guard in front of Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

The motorcade of President Donald Trump arrives to Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

A Secret Service agent stands watch outside Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026, as President Donald Trump is set to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

Security fencing is set up outside of Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026, as President Donald Trump is set to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

Security is set up outside of Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026, as President Donald Trump is set to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

FILE - President Donald Trump, center, attends the men's singles final at the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Sept. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

A traveler tries to navigate the area as stringent security measures are set up outside of Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026, as President Donald Trump is set to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

FILE - Donald Trump, right, talks to an unidentified man from the stands at Madison Square Garden during the New York Knicks game against the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 11, 2006, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

President Donald Trump speaks at Custer Farms in Chippewa Falls, Wis., Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Glen Stubbe)