HOW THE WARRIORS BECAME A POWERHOUSE
Joe Lacob and Peter Guber bought the Golden State Warriors back in 2010. Shortly after the purchase, the new owners invited media members to their penthouse at the Four Seasons in downtown San Francisco for a meet and greet. It was a surprising move, to say the least. The team’s previous owner, Chris Cohan, operated in secrecy, rarely interacting with the public, much less talking to the media.
But there they were, two wildly different men, both driven to success in their chosen industries. Lacob was a venture capitalist, a self-made billionaire cut from the biotech field. Guber was a Hollywood slickster, born with the gift of gab and an eye for hit movies. He’d made films such as “Rain Man” and “Shampoo.”
They were an odd couple, to be sure. Lacob, the studious technocrat. Guber, the extroverted showman. But both agreed that the Golden State Warriors would become a championship franchise. In fact, they promised banners from the onset.
It was a fascinating afternoon as writers and editors streamed through the suite, catching a glimpse of the duo’s shared vision, seemingly fantastical and farfetched at times.
The equation didn’t add up for this jaded journalist. Lacob spoke of his basketball knowledge, referencing a weekly pickup game at Stanford. One of the team’s first hires was Lacob’s son, Kirk, a fresh graduate from The Farm. Guber talked a lot about pro sports being a “fan experience.” He liked the entertainment you see at minorleague baseball parks.
I remember writing that this could be a recipe for disaster. I wasn’t convinced these guys knew what they were doing. I was wrong.
In the seven years since they burst on the scene, Lacob and Guber have built the Warriors into a perennial championship contender. The team has won two of the past three NBA titles. The roster looks like an All-Star team. The GM is top shelf. So is the coaching staff. They even have a shiny new arena on the way, coming to San Francisco in 2019.
As the team heads into this season, it is the odds-on favorite to win yet another title, with little standing in its way. Over the summer and in training camp, the dominant storyline surrounded a trip to the White House, which fell apart on the first day of the preseason when President Trump made it clear the team was not invited.
But this isn’t a story of domination or expectation, overcoming odds or bucking trends. The Warriors’ story centers on transformation. Lacob and Guber bought one of the most troubled franchises in pro sports and fundamentally changed it. They pulled the right levers. They pushed when needed. They held back at other times. They gathered an all-world team both in the front office and on the court.
In this special season preview magazine, you can read all about how the Golden State Warriors have risen from rubble to become one of the most recognizable sports franchises in the world.
I had my doubts at first. And I was dead wrong.