Golden State Warriors president and chief operating officer Rick Welts, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, will retire after the 2020-21 NBA season, it was announced Thursday.
Welts, 68, has spent 46 years working in the NBA and in 2011 became the most prominent sports executive to be recognized as gay. He will stay with the Warriors as an advisor, and the team said it would likely appoint a new president in a week.
“One of the things I’ve always been good at is knowing the right time to leave a position I’ve been in,” Welts, 68, told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “For me, the moment is perfect. When we had [retirement] discussion, no one saw a pandemic. If it had been a year ago, I think I would have struggled with that just because we were a total mess. We would have no idea how to get out of this. It wouldn’t have looked good for me and the organization.
“Now, just this week, we have state guidelines in order to have lucky fans in the stands before the end of April and a path, hopefully, to normalcy next year. I’m ready. The organization is ready. losing pace … I’ve done the great things I can do. It’s time to pass it on to someone else. “
Welts began his NBA career as a ball man with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1969, ending up working until he became the team’s director of public relations when he won a championship in 1979.
He also worked with the Phoenix Suns from 2002 to 11, serving as president and CEO. The Seattle native has seen the Warriors win three NBA titles during his 11 years with the franchise and also oversaw the construction of his state-of-the-art Chase Center in San Francisco.
“His intuition proved to be compelling, as his leadership, vision, creativity and relationship building allowed us to reach unprecedented peaks in the NBA when it comes to business,” Joe Lacob said in a statement. executive chairman and CEO of Warriors. . “We thank him for his incredible contributions to our franchise and, most importantly, to the class and character with which he represented our organization each day.”
Welts also played an important role in NBA marketing during his 17 years as a league executive. In addition to developing the idea for an NBA All-Star Weekend in 1984, he also promoted the Dream Team and the WNBA.
“Simply put, Rick Welts played a transformative role in creating the modern NBA during his more than 40 years as a league executive and pioneering team,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “His extraordinary vision, leadership and humanity have defined his career at the Hall of Fame, which has set the standard for excellence in the sports industry.
“I had the good fortune to learn about the business of the NBA and its teams directly from Rick in my early years in the league office and I have always thanked him for his friendship and generosity. next effort, I have no doubt that Rick will continue to leave his mark on the game and the larger sports business. “
Welts told The Undefeated that she hopes to live with her husband, Todd Gage, in Sacramento and San Francisco during retirement and plans to travel to Europe once the pandemic ends. He also plans to attend and watch many NBA games.