Golden State Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, will retire after the NBA 2020-21 season, it was announced Thursday.
Welts, 68, spent 46 years working in the NBA, and in 2011 became the most prominent sports executive to admit to being gay. He will remain with the Warriors as an adviser, and the team has said it will likely appoint a new president within 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 time is perfect. When I had [retirement] talk, no one has seen a pandemic. If it had been a year ago, I think I would have fought it just because I was a total mess. We would have no idea how to find our way out of this. It wouldn’t have been a good thing for me and the organization.
“Now, this week, we have state guidelines to have fans in the stands, hopefully before the end of April and a path, hopefully, to normal next year. I’m ready. The organization is ready. We will not miss a fight. “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 boy with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1969, eventually 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 saw the Warriors win three NBA titles in their 11 years with the franchise and also oversaw the construction of their state-of-the-art Chase Center in San Francisco.
“His intuition has proven to be on the spot, as leadership, vision, creativity and relationship building have allowed us to reach unprecedented levels in the NBA from business,” said Joe Lacob, president and CEO of Warriors, Joe Lacob. . “We thank him for his incredible contributions to our franchise and, more importantly, for the class and character he has represented our organization every day.”
Welts also played a major 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 has played a transformative role in creating the modern NBA in its more than 40 years of pioneering league and team executive,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “His extraordinary vision, leadership and humanity defined his career in the Hall of Fame, which set the standard of excellence in the sports industry.
“I was very lucky to learn about the NBA business and his teams directly from Rick in his early years in the league office and I always appreciated his friendship and generosity. As he moves on to his next move, I have no doubt that Rick will continue to make his mark on the game and the larger sporting activity. “
Welts told The Undefeated that she expects to live with her husband, Todd Gage, in Sacramento and San Francisco during retirement and plans to travel to Europe with the end of the pandemic. He also plans to participate and watch many NBA games.