Andrew Lustgarten is announced to step down from his role as Chief Executive Officer of Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (MSG Sports) at the end of year, and participate in MSG Sports’ Board of Directors, effective January 1, 2023. He passes the baton to David Hopkinson who has been serving as the executive vice president and president of team business operations in the company since 2020. Hopkinson is going to take over as president and chief operating officer immediately.

Spearheading the spin-off process of MSG Sports from MSG Entertainment in 2020, Lustgarten has also held an effective position as setting the overall business strategy and overseeing the day-to-day operations for the company’s sports franchises which include the New York Knicks (NBA) and the New York Rangers (NHL), in addition to two development league teams – the Westchester Knicks (NBAGL) and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). Before joining MSG Sports’ Board of Directors in 2023, he has an eight-year-experience within the MSG organization, five of which is a role as a president.

“With the company on firm footing and the NBA and NHL seasons set to start soon, this is the right time for me to pursue new opportunities,” said Lustgarten in a statement. “I am enormously grateful to Jim [James Dolan, executive chairman] and everyone at MSG, and look forward to continuing to work with him and the rest of the MSG Sports team in my new role.”

New president, David Hopkinson, worked for Real Madrid and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) before he joined MSG Sports in 2020. His role in the company included enhancing marketing and ticketing operations as well as driving new innovations. As president and COO, he will now be responsible for setting the company’s business strategy and overseeing business operations.

“MSG Sports is made up of some of the most iconic brands in all of sports. There is so much opportunity for growth and to further expand MSG’s position as a leader in sports,” Hopkinson said.

MSG Sports hasn’t uttered a name for chief executive officer position. James Dolan, MSG Sports Executive Chairman, continues to oversee team operations for the Knicks and Rangers.

Dolan stated that they were grateful for everything Lustgarten had done and looked forward to his continued contributions as part of MSG Sports’ board. “Over the past couple of years, David has worked with Andy [Lustgarten] and the MSG Sports management team on guiding the company through an extremely challenging time.” He went on.

Dolan added that he was confident Hopkinson’s decades of considerable and diverse experience working with world-class sports franchises made him the ideal executive to seize the opportunities that laid ahead.

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