Gay NBA trailblazer Rick Welts is retiring again after a legendary 50-year career
Rick Welts is set to retire from his position as CEO of the Dallas Mavericks. The out gay executive has had a Hall of Fame career.
Mark
Sports executive and legend Rick Welts is stepping down as the CEO of the Dallas Mavericks. His last day on the job will be December 31, 2026.
Welts is an incredibly important LGBTQ figure in sports history, as he became the first openly gay men’s basketball executive in history when he came out in 2011 while the CEO of the Phoenix Suns.
His success as an NBA executive, both before and after coming out, has cemented his place in history.
Welts is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was named the most powerful out person in sports in the Outsports Power 100 in October 2025.
Welts was the Suns CEO from 2002 to 2011 and was the president of the Golden State Warriors from 2011 to 2021. The Warriors won three NBA titles while he was team president.
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The Mavericks were able to lure Welts out of his Palm Springs retirement in 2024. Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont spoke about the role Welts has played in the organization.
“Rick joined the Mavericks at an important moment for our organization, and his leadership, judgment and experience have been invaluable,” Dumont said, according to ESPN. “He has helped strengthen our leadership team, advance our long-term vision and position the organization for continued success.”
The Mavs are looking to move into a new arena in north Dallas by 2031-2032. Welts was hired partially to help figure out how to make that happen.
In February 2025, the Dallas Mavericks made a highly controversial trade when they sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
That move was followed by some great draft luck, as the team received the first overall pick just four months later and drafted Duke superstar Cooper Flagg, who won Rookie of the Year in 2025-2026.
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Dallas Mavericks CEO Rick Welts is the most powerful out LGBTQ person in sports
Rick Welts is now a top executive for his third NBA team. The Basketball Hall of Famer is No. 1 on the 2025 Outsports Power 100.
If this is it for the Hall-of-Famer, it’s been a 50-plus-year career of trailblazing that started when he worked as a ballboy for the Seattle SuperSonics starting in 1969.
Welts has certainly earned a final retirement. Though we can only imagine the teams that will come calling for his insight and advice.
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