Wayne Embry

Wayne Richard Embry (born March 26, 1937) was an American professional basketball player and executive whose career in the National Basketball Association spanned both the court and the front office. Born in Springfield, Ohio, he was raised on a 70-acre family farm five miles outside the city, on a property that held four separate homes for his nuclear family, his grandparents, and two uncles. The family was poor, and his father also worked as a car mechanic. Embry attended Tecumseh High School near New Carlisle, Ohio, where he was a three-year letter winner and earned honorable mention All-State honors. He already stood 6 ft 4 in as a 15-year-old junior center.

Embry's 11-year playing career at center spanned from 1958 to 1969. He played for the Cincinnati Royals, the Boston Celtics, and the Milwaukee Bucks, all of the NBA. After retiring as a player, he moved into team management, becoming the first African American general manager and the first African American team president in NBA history.

In 1999, Embry was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Since 2004, he has served as a senior basketball advisor for the Toronto Raptors.