Читать книгу We Make It Better - Eric Rosswood - Страница 23

Starting his career in 1969 as a ball boy for the Seattle SuperSonics, Rick Welts spent decades rising through the ranks to become one of the NBA’s top executives, and eventually one of the most respected executives in the industry. From 1982 to 1999, Welts worked at the NBA league office in New York, and eventually became the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of NBA Properties. During this time, he created the massively successful NBA All-Star Weekend, in addition to the marketing program for the 1992 Olympics “Dream Team.” When America’s interest in the sport soared, Welts was credited with enhancing the league’s image and making basketball the popular sport it is today.

One of his basketball legacies came about when he joined sports attorney Val Ackerman to create the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The two were instrumental in launching the women’s professional basketball league and securing partnerships with some of the biggest sports advertisers in the world, including Nike, Coca-Cola, and McDonald’s. Together, for their efforts, he and Ackerman were named BRANDWEEK’s ’97 Grand Marketers of the year. Later, Welts became the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Phoenix Suns, and they won three Division Titles (2005, 2006, and 2007) during his tenure with the team.

But one of his most meaningful moments was in 2011, when he publicly came out in a front-page story in the New York Times. By doing so, Welts became the first openly gay executive of a major sports team, and an inspiration to many. He received awards from GLAAD, GLSEN, and even served as the celebrity Grand Marshal in the 2015 San Francisco Pride Parade. He also became an Advisory Board Member for the You Can Play Project, an organization dedicated to ensuring the safety and inclusion of all people in sports, including LGBTQ athletes, coaches, and fans. Shortly after coming out, and weeks after leaving the Suns, Welts was recruited by the Golden State Warriors. During his time as President and Chief Operating Officer, the Warriors have excelled, winning three NBA Championships (2015, 2017, and 2018). Welts has had a remarkable career spanning over forty years, and in 2018, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In his acceptance speech, he acknowledged his lifelong love of sports and its power to bring people together. He also thanked his partner, Todd Gage, and said that, even though he has accomplished many things throughout his career, coming out was the most important thing he had ever done.