• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, July 21, 2014

Facebook has poached Dan Reed, the NBA’s Development League president, to head up global sports partnerships.
 
The hire is part of a broader effort by Facebook to expand its relationships with athletes, sports teams, publishers, marketers and fans.
 
“Facebook is a powerful platform for connecting people with the sports, athletes and events they care about,” Nick Grudin, director of partnerships at Facebook, said Monday.
 
Reed will relocate to California and will report directly to Grudin.

Reed has been with the league since 2004 when he joined as senior manager of team marketing and business operations. In that role, Reed was responsible for advising NBA teams on all business operations, including ticket sales, sponsorship development, customer retention, marketing and analytics. 

Late last year, the social giant picked up SportStream, a start-up that helps publishers and brands surface relevant content, such as real-time discussions around specific games and news stories.
 
Facebook also recently wrapped up major partnerships with Univision during the FIFA World Cup, and previously, a partnership with NBC during the XXII Olympic Winter Games.

The partnerships team at Facebook already includes Sibyl Goldman, who heads up entertainment partnerships, and Andy Mitchell, who heads up news and international partnerships out of New York City.
 
In a statement issued on Monday, NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum said he looks forward to working with Reed when he joins Facebook.
 
Reed has served in his current role as development league president since 2007. Since then, he is credited with increasing game attendance, ticket sales, season-ticket retention rates, sponsorship sales, and fan growth around the league.