NBA Hall of Famer and Bay FC Board Member Rick Welts
Watch full episode:
How do you transform a professional sports league into a household name and create a culture that leaves a lasting legacy?
On this episode of It’s Not Magic, influential sports executive and NBA Hall of Famer Rick Welts joins our host, David Stiepleman, for a conversation about his pioneering career. From Ballboy to Golden State Warrior’s Team President and COO, Rick has had a decades-long relationship with the NBA and has helped shape it into the world-renowned brand we know today. And, most recently, Rick joined our Sixth Street team as a Senior Advisor and Board Member for our recently named National Women’s Soccer League team: Bay FC.
Recorded live from Sixth Street’s annual offsite in Austin, Texas, Rick walks us through his remarkable career, shares lessons learned along the way, and predicts what’s next for the sports industry. We’re excited to kick-off Pride Month with this conversation with Rick who is also known for LGBTQ+ advocacy in sports by proudly embracing his identity and encouraging others to do the same.
Listen On:
More from this episode:
- A Sports Executive Leaves the Safety of His Shadow Life, The New York Times, May 15, 2011
- Rick Welts: Hall of Fame Speech, Golden State Warriors, September 7, 2018
- National Women’s Soccer League Announces Expansion to Bay Area, California, Sixth Street, April 4, 2023
- Arsenal sells out Emirates for Women’s Champions League semi-final with Wolfsburg clash played in front of record-breaking crowd, Talk Sport, May 1, 2023
- The story behind Gatorade’s iconic Jordan campaign, Sports Business Journal, October 11, 2021
- ‘How you treat people matters’: The legacy of Rick Welts, the pioneering, Hall of Fame NBA executive, The Athletic, June 30, 2021
- 1984 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Pro Hoops Daily, June 15, 2015
- The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger and Joel Lovell