Peter Guber

Co-Executive Chairman

Peter Guber, a prominent figure in the sports and entertainment industry for more than 35 years, is owner and co-executive chairman of the Golden State Warriors. Under his leadership since 2010, the Warriors have enjoyed immense success, highlighted by four NBA Championships (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022), six Western Conference titles (2015-2019, 2022) and the recording of the greatest single season record in NBA history (73-9 in 2015-16). Off the court, the Warriors were named “Franchise of the Decade” by the Sports Business Journal (SBJ) in December 2019, an award that encompasses all 123 teams in the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL. The award-winning sports business publication also bestowed “Sports Team of the Year” honors to the Warriors in 2014 and 2016 in recognition of the organization’s innovative and successful business practices. This marked the first time that any professional team had won this prestigious award more than once (the organization was also a finalist for the award in 2017 and 2018).

In addition to the Warriors, Guber owns a wealth of experience in sports and location-based entertainment. One of his core principles is the importance of enhancing every aspect of the fan experience, from entrance to exit. With that philosophy as a driving force, on January 17, 2017, the Warriors broke ground on Chase Center, the organization’s 100% privately financed, state-of-the-art sports and entertainment complex in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood. Less than 32 months later, on September 6, 2019, Chase Center opened its doors, immediately becoming one of the crown jewels around the world, and the first-ever arena in the City of San Francisco. A year after its opening (September 2020), Chase Center was named “Sports Facility of the Year” by the Sports Business Journal.

One of the most successful executives and entrepreneurs in the entertainment and communications industries, Guber’s impressive resume includes serving as the chairman & CEO of Sony Entertainment, president of Columbia Pictures, chairman and CEO of Polygram Entertainment and co-owner and co-chairman of Casablanca Record & Filmworks. Among the films he personally produced or executive produced are “Rain Man” (Academy Award – Best Picture), “Batman,” “The Color Purple,” “Midnight Express,” “Gorillas in the Mist,” “The Witches of Eastwick,” “Missing” and “Flashdance.” Guber’s personal movies have earned more than $3 billion worldwide, while also garnering more than 50 Academy Award nominations.

Guber is the founder and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment, a visionary multimedia venture spanning movies, TV, sports, and digital media. Mandalay’s feature films include “Soul Surfer,” “The Kids Are All Right,” “Bernie,” “Donnie Brasco” and “Sleepy Hollow.” Their upcoming theatrical films include “Surrounded” from MGM; “Heart of A Lion” which is the miraculous, emotional story of George Foreman overcoming all odds to reboot his life and regain his title of heavyweight boxing champion of the world at 46 years old; and “Air Jordan” from Amazon and MGM which stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and chronicles the sneaker wars involving Michael Jordan. “The Last Dance,” a 10-part documentary which focused on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ 1997-98 championship run, was produced by Mandalay Sports Entertainment for ESPN, which Guber won the Emmy and the Producers Guild Award for Best Producer. Guber expanded Mandalay into a national entertainment sports provider, and he currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Guber, together with Guggenheim Group and Magic Johnson, acquired the Los Angeles Dodgers in May 2012. Under their ownership, the franchise has won a Word Series (2020), captured nine National League West division titles (including eight consecutive from 2013-2020), and made three World Series appearances in a four-year span (2017, 2018, 2020). He joins Jerry Reinsdorf (Bulls, White Sox) as the only current owners to win both an NBA and MLB title.

In October of 2014, Guber became the owner and executive chairman of Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), which made their debut in 2018 in the Banc of California Stadium, the first new open-air stadium built in the city of Los Angeles since Dodger Stadium in 1962. In 2018, LAFC accomplished the best regular season for an MLS expansion team, earning 57 points. The team then earned a record-breaking 72 points in 2019, winning their first major MLS trophy, the Supporter’s Shield, and captured the Western Conference title before their season ended in the conference finals. LAFC appeared in the 2020 Concacaf Champions League, an international competition featuring the top clubs from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. LAFC was one of four US teams to qualify for the 16-team tournament.

Guber joins Ted Leonsis, Jeff Vinik and Bruce Karsh as one of four co-executive chairmen of aXiomatic, a broad-based esports and gaming company. The company has a majority stake in Team Liquid, a top esports team in the U.S. and Europe with 60 players competing in 14 games. Team Liquid’s collective teams have won the most prize money in the history of esports while amassing trophies across different titles and different countries, including winning the 2017 DOTA 2 International Championships, which boasted the largest purse in esports history. Their League of Legends team has won four LCS titles, and their Counter-Strike Global Offensive team was awarded the Intel Grand Slam prize in 2019, a feat achieved in just four tournaments. aXiomatic also has stakes in esports companies Epic Games, (“Fortnite”), Niantic (“Pokemon GO”), Super League Gaming, Gamer Sensei and Bitkraft.

In June 2017, California Governor Jerry Brown appointed Guber to the prestigious position of Regent of the University of California. Additionally, Guber for more than 30 years, is a full professor at UCLA, teaching at the Anderson School of Management and the School of Theater, Film, Television and Digital Media. He is a member of the UCLA Foundation Board of Trustees, as well as the winner of UCLA’s prestigious Service Award for his accomplishments in association with the school. Guber is the founding member of the Board of Advisors for the Center for Managing Enterprises in Media, Entertainment & Sports (MEMES) at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

A noted author, Guber’s third book, Tell To Win – Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story, was published by Crown Business and became an instant #1 New York Times, Amazon, and Wall Street Journal bestseller. The book is in its 18th printing.

Guber was recruited by Columbia Pictures out of NYU’s Graduate School of Business, where he was pursuing an MBA. He also holds a BA, Master of Law and Juris Doctorate degrees. He received his honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from the University of Connecticut; was named Albert Gallatin Fellow at New York University; is a recipient of Syracuse University’s George Arents Pioneer Award, the highest honor that can be given to an alumnus, for his distinguished work in film. In 2016, Guber was named Businessperson of the Year by the Los Angeles Business Journal.

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