The Human Highlight Film Is an HBCU GM Now

MONTGOMERY, Ala.

Dominique Wilkins spent his career making arenas hold their breath. On Tuesday night in Montgomery, he did it in a boardroom register instead — Alabama State University announced the Hall of Famer as the new general manager of its men's basketball program, unveiling the hire at the school's annual Basketball Tipoff Reception.

This is not a ceremonial title. In the role, Wilkins will work with Alabama State's athletics administration and coaching staff on fundraising, donor engagement, Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) partnerships, revenue sharing, roster planning and student-athlete development, the school said — the full front-office portfolio of modern college basketball, handed to a 66-year-old who has never run a college program and never needed to.

"To be at a place like Alabama State University is exciting; it's a new challenge," Wilkins said. "The programs are trending upward, so it's an exciting time to join them and accelerate the growth."

Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Jason Cable framed the hire as character as much as celebrity. Wilkins, Cable said, "embodies the very attributes we hope our student-athletes will carry with them: excellence, integrity, and a commitment to others," adding that his "genuine willingness to give back make[s] him ideal for our program. We are proud to welcome him to the Hornet family."

The program Wilkins inherits is mid-turn. The Hornets slipped to 10-22 last season under Tony Madlock — one year after the 2024-25 team made the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011 — and Madlock left for an assistant coaching role at Memphis. Alabama State hired Chris Wright, from NAIA Langston, as its new head coach in April; Wilkins arrives six days before Wright's debut season tips. The season opens Tuesday, November 3, on the road at Texas A&M in College Station.

Wilkins is the latest — and arguably the loudest — name in the wave of NBA stars taking front-office jobs on campus in the NIL and transfer-portal era. John Wall became general manager at Howard in April. Shaquille O'Neal is the general manager at Sacramento State. Steph Curry went back to Davidson as an assistant general manager, and Trae Young took the same title at Oklahoma. What separates Wilkins is the sheer size of the shadow: nine All-Star selections, the 1985-86 NBA scoring title at 30.3 points per game, 26,668 career points, his No. 21 retired by the Atlanta Hawks in 2001, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction in 2006, a spot on the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team — and a bronze statue outside State Farm Arena. He has stayed in the game ever since, in the Hawks' front office and on the team's broadcast.

Every one of those credentials now works for a SWAC program in Montgomery. In the revenue-sharing era, a general manager's real currency is access — to donors, to corporate partners, to recruits and their families — and there is no living room in the Southeast where Dominique Wilkins has to introduce himself.

Previously's take: A GM hire at a SWAC school is normally a press release nobody outside Montgomery reads. This one lands differently because the job is real and the name is enormous — and because the timing is honest: Alabama State didn't hire a mascot, it hired a fundraiser-in-chief and a recruiting argument a week before the season starts. The test comes fast. The Hornets open at Texas A&M on Tuesday, and from now on, every program in the SWAC has to walk into a recruit's home and compete with the Human Highlight Film.