Rick Welts, president and chief operating officer of the back-to-back NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018, and a University of Washington alumnus, will be the featured speaker at the UW’s Commencement exercises Saturday, June 15.
One of the most respected business executives in the NBA, Welts, 66, has over 40 years of experience in the league and owns the rare distinction of being a part of championship teams in the NBA (4), WNBA (2) and NBA G League (1). In his role, Welts oversees all business-related operations for the Warriors, including guiding the development of Chase Center, a $1 billion-plus privately financed sports and entertainment center in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood set to open this September.