Burton said he was proud of his achievements since joining the NBL but the opportunity to join the USOC in such a senior position was one he felt he had to grasp.
“I feel very comfortable leaving now, knowing the NBL currently sits in the best financial position it has enjoyed in over a decade and that my office helped initiate the reform process which will allow our sport to move to the next level,” Burton reflected.
“There is no doubt the NBL and the sport of basketball still have a lot of work to do but we have put in place the process to achieve meaningful and lasting change and I will watch with interest the continued growth of the League.”
Burton joined the NBL in July 2003 and has since overseen the re-signing of Fox Sports to a five-year partnership as the NBL’s official subscription television network, unveiled an exciting new finals format and brought back the NBL’s popular annual All-Star Game.
In September 2004, Burton introduced global giant Philips as the League’s official naming rights partner as part of a three-year partnership and has recently been instrumental in the NBL’s participation in an all-of-sport review in conjunction with Basketball Australia and the Australian Sports Commission.
In March 2006 the NBL added its first Asian team, as the Singapore Slingers became the first western professional sports league to add a team in Asia.
Burton will step down as Commissioner at the end of September.
In his new position, Burton will direct the USOC’s Sales and Marketing Division, including the development and implementation of corporate sponsorship programmes designed to deliver maximum return-on-investment to the USOC’s family of corporate partners.
Burton will also work closely with USOC chief operating officer Norman Bellingham in creating the revenue streams necessary to support the USOC’s digital media initiatives.
He will also be a member of the USOC’s Chicago 2016 Integration Team.
