Collin Findlay
The San Antonio Spurs are used to versatile performers on the court — and it’s the same with the lawyer-MBA on their senior executive team.
Brandon James has ascended to his leadership role with the Spurs because of his nontraditional route to the NBA and an unspoken life theme — do hard things. James went from undergrad at Georgia Southern to a dual J.D.-MBA grad student at the University of Georgia to a life of marketing, branding and contract negotiating at IMG to having his multidimensional résumé exulted by Spurs Sports & Entertainment.
“Yes, I am a lawyer,” James said. “But also a lawyer that can work with numbers and understand the business element of being a well-rounded and trusted adviser.”
James became one of the rare NBA team attorneys to be embedded in basketball operations. He deciphered the CBA for team decision-makers such as R.C. Buford, researched the salary cap limitations of other teams, and drafted or negotiated more than $950 million worth of creative contracts for Spurs players, executives and coaches.
Buford, the Spurs’ GM-turned-CEO, tasked him three years ago with “bringing our best practices from our basketball strategy to our burgeoning business strategy.” James has helped establish the Spurs in Austin, working with Oak View Group, the University of Texas and other stakeholders to execute the I-35 Series — a spate of Spurs games at Moody Center that have obliterated attendance records and increased non-San Antonio revenue streams.
“What we’ve done really well is not operate in a silo,” James said. “So it wasn’t just strategy focus or just cap focus or just legal focus. We’ve taken into account player development, health and wellness, the scouting department, basketball and analytics. The same is true on the business side — get all key stakeholders aligned and talking and end up with more holistic and ultimately better results.” — Tom Friend
Brandon James
Senior Vice President of Strategic Growth and Deputy General Counsel, Spurs Sports & Entertainment
Age: 40 (turned 40 this spring)
Born: Rochester, N.Y.
Education: Georgia Southern, B.S., justice studies; University of Georgia; J.D. and MBA
What my friends/family think I do all day: Watch sports and argue with other lawyers — and they are still confused as to how that constitutes as a serious profession.
How I deal with stress in the workplace: I run … a lot.
Cause supported: Liberia Strong Foundation.
App I use most: X.
First social media platform I signed up for: Instagram.
Person in sports business I’d most like to meet: Bob Iger.
Sports business leaders should be more mindful of … : Trends outside of business or sport.
Most pressing issue facing my generation is … : Identifying, attracting and retaining top talent when younger generations may look, think and show up differently than we are used to or familiar with.
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