After attending Tecumseh High School in New Carlisle, Ohio, Wayne Embry played at Miami University where he was a two-time Honorable Mention All-American. He was team captain and MVP in 1957-58. His NBA career spanned eleven seasons playing for the Cincinnati Royals, Boston Celtics, and Milwaukee Bucks. Embry, who won an NBA championship with the Celtics in 1968, was a five-time NBA All-Star. In 1971 he was named Milwaukee's General Manager, becoming the first African-American GM in the NBA. From 1985 to 1992, he was VP and GM of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He became the NBA's first African-American team president with the Cavaliers in 1994. In 1992 and 1998 Embry was named NBA Executive of the Year by The Sporting News.

Currently, Embry serves as Senior Basketball Advisor to the President for the Toronto Raptors.