Tag: Rick Welts

Have you had any interaction with …

Have you had any interaction with Sarver since you came out? Ryan Resch: I hadn’t seen him or had a chance to talk to him in person for a few months after I came [out] to James and the rest of the organization. My then-boyfriend had been coming to games during that period. When I told Robert a couple of weeks ago, he was amazing. He told me, “I’m so happy you feel comfortable enough to live as who you are, and bring someone special to you to a game.” We spoke about Rick Welts. The best part of the conversation was our discussion about how it’s the quality of the work that will determine my trajectory professionally in the franchise. It’s about merit.

PHOTOS: Warriors in the Basketball Hall of Fame

Warriors Wire commemorates the 28 members of the Basketball Hall of Fame with ties to the Golden State/Philadelphia Warriors franchsise.

This past weekend, Chris Webber was voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Webber was acquired by Golden State as the No. 1 overall pick in a draft-day trade with Orlando in 1993. He won Rookie of the Year in the 1993-94 season but was then surprisingly traded to Washington amid friction with Warriors coach Don Nelson. Webber also wrapped up his playing career in a nine-game cameo with the Warriors in the 2007-08 season.

Former Warriors head coach Rick Adelman also was voted into this year’s Hall of Fame class. Although he is better known for his years with the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets, Adelman coached the Warriors to a 66-98 record in the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons.

Webber and Adelman become the 28th and 29th members of the Hall of Fame with a direct tie to the Warriors franchise — not counting indirect ties such as former coach Dave Cowens, who is inducted as a player but not a coach.

Below, we celebrate the 29 Hall of Fame figures with ties to the Golden State/Philadelphia Warriors franchise in photos.

Warriors president and COO Rick Welts to retire after the end of 2020-21 season

At the end of the 2020-21 season, the Golden State Warriors president and chief operating officer Rick Welts is set to retire.

At the end of the 2020-21 season, a vital piece of the Golden State Warriors’ run to three championships is set to retire. After a 46 year decorated career in the NBA, the Warriors president and COO Rick Welts will retire at the end of the 2020-21 season.

Welts joined the Warriors in 2011 after stints with the Seattle Supersonics and Phoenix Suns. Welts also spent 17 years with the NBA as a league executive.

Along with making a noted impact around the association, Welts broke personal barriers across sports. In 2011, Welts became the highest-ranking executive in men’s sports to acknowledge he is gay.

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During his 10 year run in the Bay Area, Welts helped oversee Golden State’s three championships in 2015, 2017 and 2018. Welts was a centerpiece in the franchise’s transition from Oakland’s Oracle Arena to San Francisco’s new Chase Center.

Via @WarriorsPR on Twitter:

As a league executive with the NBA, Welts played a role in promoting and marketing the 1992 USA men’s Olympic “Dream Team” and the WNBA. Welts is credited with helping develop the idea for NBA All-Star weekend. In 2018, Welts was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

After the 2020-21 season, Welts will stay with the Warriors as an advisor. Golden State is expected to name a new president over the next week.

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“We are doubling down on our …

“We are doubling down on our organizational commitment and accountability in the fight for racial and social justice,” said Warriors President & Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts. “Joe Lacob and Peter Guber released a statement in May outlining our roadmap; specifically, our organizational Voice, Feet, Heart and Wallet resources; these principles will guide our organizational efforts for many years to come.”

He recalled over the phone last week …

He recalled over the phone last week that in the late ’80s, growing the NBA meant Stern handing a baffled TV executive from Italy a stack of videocassette recordings in hopes the exec would air them when he got back home. “The victories were getting a game that was played 10 days ago aired at a terrible time on Italian television,’’ Welts said. “That’s the kind of thing we considered a victory back then.” Around that time, league officials also attended an international market show in Cannes. “With pretty much a cardboard table and a bunch of business cards,’’ Welts said. “We just tried to grab any television programmer who was there to try to explain to them what the NBA was and why it would be such a great property for their company to air on television.”