The Warriors have received several awards through the years, and the one the organization received on Monday means almost as much to Owner Joe Lacob as the team’s 73-win regular season last year or even perhaps the NBA championship from the season prior to that. The Dubs are the recipient of the 2016 ENCORE Award, which is awarded each year by the Stanford Graduate School of Business Alumni Association and the ENCORE Selection Committee.
The honor recognizes the Warriors’ entrepreneurial spirit and their impact on sports as a whole. The Dubs become the first sports organization to win the ENCORE Award, which has been presented annually since 1982 to recognize best in class entrepreneurial companies from around the world, including such recent winners as Google (2004), Apple (2005), and Amazon (2010).
Lacob, who received his MBA from Stanford in 1983, accepted the award on behalf of the team, and he also participated in a panel discussion with President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Bob Myers, and Warriors players.