SAN FRANCISCO — Joe Lacob was on the stage. Next to him was his partner in ownership, Peter Guber. commissioner Cathy Engelbert was up there, too. And London Breed, mayor of San Francisco. And Warriors president Brandon Schneider. Even ESPN’s Malika Andrews flew in to host. Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes was in the front row, as was legendary Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer — whose career is very much the seed that sprouted into what blossomed Thursday at Chase Center.
is a Black group backed by a legit firm in Loop Capital and featuring successful Black executives like Shonda Scott and reputed agent Bill Duffy. Obviously, these things have an assortment of unknown factors and behind-the-scenes variables at play. But it feels counter to the WNBA’s ideology for it to even appear that a group led by Beard wasn’t truly taken seriously. Beard and
were blindsided by the news of the Warriors being locked in. Imagine working to secure funding only to find out a week before the announcement a deal with the Warriors was pretty much done. And the revelation came from this reporter seeking a comment. The smart move by the WNBA would have been to honor the possibilities in Oakland by, if nothing else, giving an honest assessment of their chances.