Rick Welts, NBA’s First Out Gay Executive, to Retire
NBA Hall of Famer made headlines across the sports world when he came out in 2011
BY MATT TRACY
Golden State Warriors
president and COO
Rick Welts, the NBA’s
fi rst out gay executive,
plans to retire at the end of the
2020-21 NBA season.
Welts, a 68-year-old NBA Hall of
Famer, will step into an advisory
role while the team searches for a
president to replace him following a
decade-long stint during which he
helped steer the franchise to three
championships over the course of
fi ve seasons.
Welts became the fi rst out gay
executive of an NBA team when
he came out in 2011 during his
time in the Phoenix Suns’ front offi
ce. He left the Suns that year and
joined the Golden State Warriors.
The longtime NBA executive’s
career dates back to 1969 when he
got his start with the Seattle Supersonics
— a team no longer in
existence. Welts’ many accomplishments
include creating the NBA’s
All-Star weekend and helping to
launch the WNBA. This year, however,
his Warriors are in the midst
of another lackluster season after
struggling throughout a disappointing
2019-2020 campaign.
“This has been the ride of a
lifetime,” Welts said in a written
statement released by the Warriors
April 8. “To have had a front row
seat to the growth of the NBA from
where it was in the late 1960s to its
place today as one of the most respected
and successful leagues in
sports on a global stage has been
an incredible privilege.”
Welts said he is “excited for my
own next chapter,” though he did
not elaborate on his future plans.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver
reacted to Welts’ retirement announcement
by praising the out
gay executive’s successful career.
“Simply put, Rick Welts played
a transformational role in creating
the modern NBA during his
more than 40 years as a pioneering
league and team executive,”
Silver said in a written statement.
“His extraordinary vision, leadership
and humanity have defi ned
Rick Welts with Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird in 2019.
his Hall of Fame career, which
has set the standard of excellence
in the sports industry. I had the
tremendous good fortune to learn
about the business of the NBA
and its teams directly from Rick
in my early years at the league offi
ce and have always appreciated
his friendship and generosity. As
he transitions into his next endeavor,
I have no doubt that Rick
will continue to leave his mark on
the game and the greater sports
business.”
During a 2019 interview with
Gay City News in Manhattan,
Welts refl ected on his own coming
out story and its impact on the
lives of others.
“The outreach I get weekly from
somebody on a team or league who
is kind of trying to fi gure all this
out and connect with someone
who would understand their experience,
there is no greater honor
than doing that,” Welts said at the
time. “But none of that would have
happened if I didn’t take the step of
telling my story.”
Welts also recalled his job interview
with Golden State — which
came just months after he fi rst
came out. The team owners did
not bring up his sexuality until an
hour into the interview, and when
they did, they just casually asked
how his coming out went.
“It was so not on their radar,” he
said. “It was like, wow, OK, I like
the culture of this place.”
Welts went on to become a key
name among out LGBTQ fi gures
in the sports world. He immersed
himself in initiatives such as the
You Can Play campaign to support
queer athletes and combat
anti-LGBTQ bigotry in the sports
world. When he spoke to Gay City
News, he was in New York City
with his partner, Todd Gage, to cochair
Athlete Ally’s annual awards
event.
Notably, Welts used that event
to push back against the ongoing
attacks on transgender athletes.
Two of the honorees that evening
were high school athletes Andraya
Yearwood and Terry Miller of Connecticut,
SPORTS
USA TODAY SPORTS/KYLE TERADA
who were targeted by
President Donald Trump and his
administration as part of efforts to
oppose the rights of trans athletes
to participate in accordance with
their gender identity.
“The two transgender studentathletes
we’re honoring tonight
are literally writing history every
day of their lives,” Welts said that
night. “They’re doing it in a fearless
way, not exactly knowing what the
end of the story is going to be.”
In the decade since Welts came
out, only one NBA player followed
suit — Jason Collins — and it has
been six years since he retired.
During his interview with Gay City
News, Welts underscored the importance
of creating a welcoming
environment to pave the way for
other players.
“We can’t make the decision for
them,” Welts said. “It’s the most
personal, diffi cult decision they’ll
probably ever make. What we can
do is make sure we create the work
atmosphere where they know their
job is not in jeopardy.”
GayCityNews.com | April 22 - May 5, 2021 31
/GayCityNews.com
