“Did it happen in one day? (NOPE)
Came a long way? (YUP)”
E-40, “Choices (Yup) (Warriors Remix)“

Rick Welts was one of those kids who knew exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up: he started his career as a ballboy and advanced through the years to become one of the most powerful executives today in sports. As President and COO of the Golden State Warriors, Rick Welts is no doubt among the key people responsible for the Warriors’ rapid rise and continued success.

A few weeks ago, I sat down with Rick Welts for a pre-game interview event hosted by VCNetwork. We talked about his humble beginnings and meteoric rise in the NBA ranks, as well as his coming-out experience as a prominent sports executive. Courageous stuff considering the machismo culture that pervades professional sports.

These days, Rick Welts is leading the charge to build a new Warriors arena in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood. The new arena, scheduled to open in 2019, cost $1.5B to build––all privately funded without taxpayer money, as Rick proudly points out. And true to the roots of its locale, the new arena will have all the technological bells and whistles to suit every technophile’s first-world needs.

Check out the video for more details on my interview with Rick Welts.