Meet Morgan Montgomery | Director of Player Services/ Chaos Controller

We had the good fortune of connecting with Morgan Montgomery and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Morgan, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
In the Sports Industry, work life balance can take many shapes and forms. We don’t have typical 9-5s with game times and general needs. I tell people my role is 24/7 because you just never know when you are managing the lives of professional athletes and ensuring they are taken care of. But there has to be a balance or else burn out can set in quick. I used to work around the clock- would stop whatever I am doing to respond to that text or answer the email no matter what time of day or night it came in… now I have learned to assess the urgency.. can they wait until I am done grabbing coffee or cleaning my room… or doing a different work related need… 9/10 yes, yes it can.

This year, I have really tried to prioritize me… on trips with the team, I will step away and go on walks or do a spa treatment. Read a book- rather than waiting for the phone to ring,I try to plan activities that fill my cup but have a plan to react when needed. Some times it works and other times it’s chaos. I have also learned to give myself grace for when I don’t get it right. For when it is 3-4 consecutive 18+ hour days, I try not to judge or be upset. I give grace in that soon, it will be a no work day or a jut monitor emails day that I can focus on the things I need to do in my personal life.

Also finding joy… I LOVE my job so even on the rough long days, seeking the joy in each moment.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am the Director of Player Services for the Denver Nuggets. I have been with the team 4 years and this is my first season with this title but have been in the role for all 4. My main role is to take care of all of the off the court “things” for our players and staff. This can range from relocations, to community appearances, and NBA meetings to team dinners and family events/needs. I like to say I have 18 children so team mom or team sister is the most accurate.

I am most proud of the relationships that I have developed with our players in that I am a resource for them for all things. I support them off the court so they can be the best athletes on the Court. I focus on taking care of their families and personal lives as well as their impacts in the community. My job is to make sure they are happy. Our worlds are intense and depend on wins and loses but I get to see so much more than that. I don’t care about the stats, I can about who they develop into as a person, dad, brother, businessman, etc.

It is not easy! As a 28 year old female in a male dominated field, it is not easy at times to show up every day and have to prove myself and earn the respect of the industry but I have some of the best colleagues and my players are second to none. The chaos and fast paced-ness of the NBA can be exhausting and demanding- sleepless nights and long, long days. I think overcoming the challenges is just falling in love with what I do and finding the wins. For me those come off the court as well as on. I love when we have big wins (championships!) but more so I love when they have personal wins that I help with… successful foundations and community impact, birthday and weddings for their families, all the things that make them so much more than just basketball payers.

I hope that my brand is one of a person who showed up always and was helpful. Worked to show how professional athletes are so much more than what they do on the court, they are humans with other interests and wants and needs. I hope my legacy is that I was a small part of something much greater in their lives.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A game at Ball Arena feels like an obvious one but it’s a must when my people come to town. Maybe start the day at Yoga on the Rocks at Red Rocks and then head to coffee in Cherry Creek area- so I would say start with coffee at Aviano and maybe do some shopping. Happy Hour at Forget me Not or Sorry Gorgeous and dinner at El Five. If a gam isn’t the move then a show at DCPA or concert at any of our cute venue around the city.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are too many to count!

Number one: I call them my inner circle. The people I can run to with anything- professional, personal, when life get out of control: Jen, Alexis, Layne, Ang, and Makalah

Number two: My parents and grandma (Mimi)

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-montgomery-1303b4149

Image Credits
Kevin and Cathy Keyser (KeyserImages)
Garrett Ellwood (gwephoto.com)
Bart Young (btyphoto)