Monday, 04 May 2026

Rick Welts

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Contributors 2026
Embed from Getty Images
Sport(s): Basketball Executive
Statistics & Accolades: 3 NBA Championships (2015, 2017 & 2018)
Member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Rick Welts is a Hall of Fame executive whose career spanned over five decades, rising from a 16-year-old ball boy for the Seattle SuperSonics to a key figure in the NBA. During 17 years at the league office, he served as EVP and Chief Marketing Officer, credited with creating NBA All-Star Weekend in 1984 and marketing the 1992 "Dream Team." Welts also helped launch the WNBA, earning "Marketer of the Year" in 1998.

Welts achieved success as president of the Phoenix Suns and later the Golden State Warriors, overseeing the development of the Chase Center and leading the Warriors to three NBA championships from 2015 to 2018. In 2011, he was the first top executive in major men's sports to publicly come out as gay, earning industry praise. He retired from the Warriors in 2021.

We are proud to nominate Rick Welts for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.