Warriors owner Joe Lacob hears the criticisms and critiques sent his way.
"I think people think that I’m a very tough or a megalomaniac or something like that. Or too involved -- that’s the one that bugs me," Lacob said Wednesday on 95.7 The Game's "The Morning Roast" show.
"It’s not just that I’m the owner or the governor or whatever. Honestly, that’s a misnomer. I believe any owner of a sports team -- actually, any organization -- needs to be very involved. That doesn’t mean they are making the decisions for people. You let people, you empower them, you let them make decisions and mistakes."
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Lacob bought the Warriors along with Peter Guber in 2010. Since then, the team has won four NBA championships and built the beautiful Chase Center arena in San Francisco. It's hard to argue with the results.
But one mishap he'll be tied to forever is the Warriors drafting center James Wiseman with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft over the likes of LaMelo Ball, Tyrese Haliburton and others. Lacob was vocal about his love for Wiseman after the draft, telling The Athletic's Tim Kawakami in November 2020 that "he was my No. 1 forever."
Wiseman was traded to the Detroit Pistons in February at the deadline, marking the end of the Warriors' two-timeline plan that originally was billed to continue the winning ways long past the dynasty in the Bay. But trading Wiseman clearly indicated the team was going all-in on winning championships now with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green heading into the final chapters of their basketball careers.
Lacob has never hidden his involvement in the Warriors' pre-draft process, which can be a red flag for some sports owners. But he looks at expressing his thoughts on the team's basketball decisions as a positive.
Golden State Warriors
"But the truth is, you have to be involved and know everything that is going on," Lacob told 95.7 The Game. "If you don’t, you’re not going to be successful. You’re just not. It’s really all about the details in every respect. If I’m going to own this organization, this business, and be involved – we are going to know what’s going on so that we can make good decisions when people bring to us things like, hopefully, the new name of the women’s WNBA team.
"We need to be involved; we need to understand everything involved."
Now, where does Lacob hear the criticism? He told 95.7 The Game that he has never sent a post on X, formerly Twitter, but he does lurk on the social media platforms and reads the site "religiously."
"I have wanted to tweet so many times," Lacob said. "But I have not, because I don't think it serves me [to do so]."