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 worked in the NBA for 46 years and in 2011 he became the top sports manager to admit he is gay. He will remain with the Warriors as an adviser, and the team said they are likely to nominate 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 was in,” Welts, 68, told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “For me, the time is perfect. When we [retirement] discussion, no one saw a pandemic. If it had been a year ago, I think I would have struggled with it just because we were a total mess. We have no idea how we can get out of this. It would not be good for me and the organization.
‘Now, just this week, we have state guidance to hopefully have fans hopefully before the end of April and a path, hopefully, to normally next year. I’m ready. The organization is ready. We’re not going to miss a beat … I’ve done the great things I can. It’s time to pass it on to someone else. ‘
Welts began his NBA career as a balloon boy at the Seattle SuperSonics in 1969 and eventually worked until the team’s director of public relations when it won a championship in 1979.
He also worked with the Phoenix Suns from 2002 to ’11 and held roles as president and CEO. The Seattle resident has seen the Warriors win three NBA titles during his 11 years at the franchise and also oversee the construction of their newest Chase Center in San Francisco.
“His intuition was right in the spot, as his leadership, vision, creativity and relationship building enabled us to reach heights never seen before in the NBA on the business side,” said the co-executive chairman and CEO. of Warriors Joe Lacob said in a statement. . “We thank him for his incredible contributions to our franchise and, more importantly, the class and character with which he represented our organization every day.”
Welts also played an important role in marketing the NBA during his 17 years as an executive at the league. 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 during his more than 40 years as a pioneering league and team manager,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver. ‘His extraordinary vision, leadership and humanity have defined his Hall of Fame career, which has set the standard of excellence in the sports industry.
“I had the great fortune to meet Rick of the NBA and his teams directly in my early years at the league office and have always appreciated his friendship and generosity. When he moves on to his next attempt, I have no doubt that Rick will continue to make its mark on the game and the larger sports industry. ‘
Welts told The Undefeated that he expects to live with his husband, Todd Gage, in Sacramento and San Francisco during his retirement and plans to travel to Europe as soon as the pandemic ends. He also still plans to attend and watch many NBA games.