Tag: Rick Welts

Friends, family and co-workers – Adam …

Warriors react to the passing of NBA Commissioner Emeritus David Stern

Member of the Golden State Warriors weighed in on the passing of NBA Commissioner Emeritus, David Stern.

NBA Commissioner Emeritus, David Stern has died at age 77 on New Year’s Day from a brain hemorrhage that he suffered back in mid-December.

The NBA would not be the product it is today without the influence of Stern, his laundry list of accomplishments as commissioner is unprecedented for its time.

During Stern’s tenure, the basketball world launched things like the Draft Lottery, the G League, NBA TV, NBA Cares and the WNBA. Stern was influential in the NBA’s expansion to broader media markets, along with marketing strategies that launched the new wave NBA product that we know today. In his time, Stern turned the NBA from a basketball league to a global phenomenon.

After his passing was announced, several members of the Golden State Warriors weighed in on Stern’s legacy.

“I think David Stern probably made a bigger impact on the game than any non-player in the history of the NBA,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

Coach Kerr said everyone is debt to Stern for the vision he had to set the league on the course to where it’s at currently.

“We all, everybody in the NBA—we all owe him a great debt of gratitude, for his service, for his impact and for everything he’s done for our individual lives.” Kerr stated in a video tribute.

Stern’s praise from the Warriors didn’t stop with Kerr, as President of Basketball Operations, and General Manager, Bob Myers spoke about the late commissioner’s influence on the NBA.

“He formalized and structured what we see now in the NBA,” said Myers. “He modernized the NBA—he had a strong sense of conviction—kind of a force of nature type personality to move the league in a direction where he wanted it to go.”

Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer, Rick Welts said it’s hard to imagine a world without Stern.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that he is the single most important individual in the history of the NBA,” said Welts. “His 30-year term as commissioner’s work before really created the foundation that we have enjoyed to this day, as this special NBA that we are.”

In a statement regarding the passing of Stern, the Warriors called the Hall of Fame Commissioner Emeritus and “icon.”

Stern is survived by his wife Dianne, their two sons, Andrew and Eric, along with the entire NBA fraternity.

Mark Medina: In a statement released by …

Sports Business Journal names Warriors ‘Franchise of the Decade’

After 10-years of success, the Golden State Warriors were named “Franchise of the Decade” by the Sports Business Journal.

While the Golden State Warriors are struggling to cap off 2019, the organization owned the 2010 decade. Five consecutive NBA Final appearances, three championships, and one new arena all within 10-years earned Golden State the title of “Franchise of the Year” by the Sports Business Journal.

Joe Lacob and Peter Gruber’s group purchased the Warriors in 2010 and turned Golden State from lovable losers to perineal contenders. While the Warriors set a championship pace on the court, the Sports Business Journal praised what the Warriors were able to do off the court.

The brand new, privately funded, $1.4 billion arena known as Chase Center was the crown jewel to end the Warriors’ dominant decade. No other modern sports arena was privately financed and built on private property.

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the Golden State Warriors were touted for their technological innovation. Inclusion of social media, mobile pay and a new gigantic LED scoreboard were all steps towards a modern basketball watching experience at Chase Center.

The Warriors have led the NBA in revenue over the past three seasons and their new location in San Francisco’s Mission Bay, the money is expected to keep flowing into Golden State.

Having a bevy of All-Stars across your rosters like Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green help attract honors like “Franchise of the Decade.” Still, the Warriors ownership group and President Rick Welts deserve credit with this award.

The Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer, Welts called the award “Humbling,” in a Tweet celebrating the honor.

Golden State was named “Team of the Year” by the Sports Business Journal in 2014 and 2016; they were also finalists for the award five times during the decade.

Although the team only has five wins through the first quarter of the 2019-20 season, the Golden State Warriors are still as big of a name brand as there is in the NBA. Their next challenge will be to parlay the success of the recent past into the start of the 2020-21 season.

Thus, the new digs inspired resentment …

Thus, the new digs inspired resentment in many quarters. Chief among the Chase Center features that galled was “the bunker suite,” a miniature catered apartment under the stands that costs roughly $2 million per season. Or, as team president Rick Welts said on “60 Minutes” of the price, “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.” The bunker suite, which the Warriors technically call a “courtside lounge,” has served as a symbol almost no one sees, least of all the people rankled by its presence. It is a place of inconspicuous conspicuous consumption, a place where you can show off, hidden from view.

Even if, by the end, Oracle Arena …

Even if, by the end, Oracle Arena wasn’t exactly a blue-collar bastion, Chase Center is on another level of fan affluence. Whereas the last arena housed the long-suffering Warriors fan, this new one was made for fans who have known little suffering, in sports or life. Thus, the new digs inspired resentment in many quarters. Chief among the Chase Center features that galled was “the bunker suite,” a miniature catered apartment under the stands that costs roughly $2 million per season. Or, as team president Rick Welts said on “60 Minutes” of the price, “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.”

Will an NBA team call Seattle home …

Will an NBA team call Seattle home within the next five years? “I sure hope so. If there’s one thing that I could wish for our league structurally, I think it would be to get a team back to Seattle,” Warriors president Rick Welts told NBC Sports’ Tom Haberstroh on the “Habershow” podcast. “It’s obviously a really personal issue for me. I know what that team meant to that city — bringing the first professional championship to Seattle. It’s an amazing market. A lot of the future of the world is being envisioned there. It’s got a vibrant community that would really support an NBA team coming back.”

He, more than anybody, knows the NBA …

He, more than anybody, knows the NBA belongs in Seattle. “But the path is problematic,” he said. “The good news is the NBA’s business is really successful right now, and that means we have 30 teams operating without anyone feeling like they’re in a market where they can’t support NBA basketball. And the owners — I would say probably to their credit — have shown no interest. And the league hasn’t really promoted any expansion agenda. So how do you get a team there?”