Josh Harris admits that even though he’s the owner of the 76ers, he’s not LeBron James’ boss.
“LeBron doesn’t have a boss,” Harris said in an interview for the latest episode of Sportico Sports Business Presented by Endava, airing Tuesday night on YES Network. “I’m totally comfortable with it. I think that LeBron—or any athlete who’s that exceptional (and if he’s not the GOAT, he’s in the conversation)—the level of focus and intensity and passion that he brings to the game, I’m going to learn from it, our team’s going to learn from it. This is a partnership—LeBron is our partner … and I’m glad he’s with us.”
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Harris, the founder of alternative asset management firm 26North, owns the 76ers, NFL’s Washington Commanders, the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, the Premier League’s Crystal Palace and Philadelphia’s expansion WNBA team. And he knows the importance of building culture in a franchise.
“You basically tell everyone you are a steward for the city. Three main goals: create memories, engage with the community and win,” Harris said. He went on to emphasize the most important decisions a team owner makes: “hiring a coach, hiring a GM and hiring a president or CEO.”
“A lot of it is about … playing for each other and establishing a winning mindset,” Harris said, “and as an owner, you are involved in that but also working through your [sports] people.”
Harris also discusses sports team franchise valuations (“sports is really experiencing this uplift … it’s great to see it on paper”), his two simultaneous projects (Philadelphia’s arena and Washington, D.C.’s stadium), if sports and fandom could be considered AI-proof, getting his teams’ tickets into the hands of true fans, the hardest parts of owning sports teams, the current direction of youth sports and more.
Sportico Sports Business Presented by Endava airs monthly. Presenting sponsor Endava is a leading provider of next-generation technology services, driving digital transformation for our customers by combining innovative technology and deep industry expertise with an AI-native approach.
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