Jerry Colangelo denies nepotism in son's hiring, says Bryan lost job over 'nothing'

As his tenure as an executive adviser to the Philadelphia 76ers comes to an end, Jerry Colangelo is disputing the notion he hired Bryan Colangelo as team president in 2016 simply because he was his son.

"My role was to go in and make recommendations, which was exactly what I did ..." Jerry told SiriusXM NBA Radio. "They had a list of candidates, I was willing to interview any or all of them, except one. And that person was Bryan, (who) as you both know was the one who ended up getting the job.

"So this misinformation about I hired my son to be the GM is 100 percent inaccurate. (76ers) ownership made that decision, and when they did, my role was diminished because it had to be, to rule out any of the so-called expert opinions about nepotism or anything like that, it was anything but the truth."

Jerry was brought in as a temporary chairman by Sixers ownership in late 2015, after the NBA took issue with then-general manager Sam Hinkie's prolonged rebuilding process. The move ultimately led to Hinkie's resignation and the hiring of Bryan as president in April 2016.

Bryan resigned from his post in May after an investigation determined his wife, Barbara Bottini, had operated burner Twitter accounts that were critical of various 76ers players and other NBA figures.

Related: Jerry Colangelo reportedly threatened to hurt 76ers' relationships to save son's job

Jerry reiterated that the fiasco has been hard on his son, who denied knowing about his wife's social media activities.

"I know in my heart of hearts, what took place, how it took place, who's responsible for what," he said. "I can leave with my head held high. It has been a tough year for Bryan, under the circumstances, to lose a job over something - or nothing - that he did, and that is unfortunate."

Jerry announced this week he'll leave the 76ers when his contract expires at the end of the year. The 78-year-old remains the managing director of USA Basketball.