NEW YORK — Gen. Martin Dempsey, the recently retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has been appointed a special adviser to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
The league said Friday that Dempsey, the highest-ranking U.S. military officer for the past four years, will participate in NBA functions and serve as chairman of the newly formed Jr. NBA Leadership Council. His position begins Jan. 1, 2016.
Dempsey worked closely with the NBA through the league's Hoops for Troops program, which conducted basketball clinics and health seminars on military bases throughout the country. He says basketball has always been a favorite sport in his family and he's "seen firsthand how it can bring people together.