Jerry West was the first brick.
It didn’t take long for Joe Lacob and Peter Guber to see what they were inheriting when they took ownership of the Warriors in November of 2010. They quickly discerned this franchise, toiling in the NBA doldrums for the better part of 20 years, needed to be rebuilt from the ground up.
They went after West, an NBA legend as a player and unsurpassed in his success as an executive. Going after such a major figure meant the new owners were serious. West would give the Warriors instant credibility. Officially listed as an adviser and executive board member, he gave this fixer-upper of a franchise a solid foundation.