Following reports of turmoil within the front office, the Dallas Mavericks saw a lot of changes to their organization this offseason. Rick Carlisle shockingly departed as head coach and has now moved on to the Indiana Pacers. The Mavs have reportedly found their replacement in Jason Kidd to be their lead man on the sidelines. Meanwhile, long-time executive Donnie Nelson also left his post as the team's president of basketball operations after 24 years with the franchise. Dallas made an out-of-left-field hire to replace Nelson by bringing in former Nike executive Nico Harrison to oversee basketball operations.

To even some die-hard basketball fans, including Mavericks fans, their minds probably drew a blank when they first heard about who the Mavericks hired as their new GM. However, Harrison is well-respected and highly-regarded to those around the NBA circles. With that, it's time to get to know the man who will lead the Mavs front office. Here are 3 things you didn't know about Nico Harrison.

1. He was a top executive at Nike

Most reports would label Harrison as a “Nike executive” when introducing him as the next GM for the Mavericks. According to Sporting News, Harrison has been with the global corporation since April 2, 2002 and started there as an NBA marketing representative. He initially worked with San Antonio Spurs stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili.

Soon, however, he began working with Kobe Bryant, particularly in revamping the Los Angeles Lakers superstar's image at the time. He developed a strong relationship with the 5-time NBA champion and this became his meal ticket to becoming one of the top guys at Nike.

From there, he has since developed good relationships with several players around the NBA, including Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic. According to Nate Jones, Harrison's role at Nike apparently included deciding “which players Nike pursues and elevates.” From the looks of it, it seems like Harrison has a great eye for talent. The hiring even got Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard's stamp of approval.

This should be music to the ears of Mavericks fans and should give them hope that he can attract free agents to come to Dallas in order to build a championship-caliber team around Luka Doncic.

2. Nico Harrison played basketball in college and professionally overseas

For those wondering if Nico Harrison played basketball at any point of his life, he actually did. Per MSU News, Harrison played college hoops for Montana State University (MSU) from 1993 to 1996. He led the Bobcats to the NCAA tournament as a senior in 1996 and is the program's last three-time, first team All Big Sky selection. It's safe to say he had a pretty standout college hoops career. In fact, Bill Lamberty, MSU’s assistant athletic director for media, revealed that Harrison was recognized as the top defensive player of the league.

After graduating, Harrison received an offer to play professionally in Belgium. He spent seven years there before moving on to Nike, where his career changed forever.

3. Nico Harrison actually had a different profession in mind

For many people, life takes surprising turns you never expect to happen. That is apparently the case with Harrison. According to MSU News, he took up Biology at Montana State University and he himself admitted he “thought he was going to be a doctor.”

However, being a standout player for the Bobcats, Harrison attracted a professional team from overseas. Nico Harrison obviously didn't take that path of going into the medical field anymore after his playing career and instead continued on following his passion for basketball. Fast-forward to two decades later, he may not have made it to the NBA as a player, he did make it as top executive for a top-notch organization in the Mavericks.