Josh Harris and his investment partners shelled out $6.05 billion to buy the Washington Commanders last summer. The purchase price was a record for a North American sports franchise and the sale was approved by a unanimous vote of NFL owners desperate to rid their exclusive fraternity of villain Dan Snyder.
Harris remained in the shadows as the Commanders stumbled to a 4-13 record and finished in last place in the NFC East. However, one day after the season ended, he swooped in and fired coach Ron Rivera on Monday.
He also hired two new advisors, one of whom seems strange at first glance but makes a lot of sense upon examination: Bob Myers.
UCLA’s Bob Myers goes for a rebound against Oregon State during a game on Feb. 2, 1996. Myers was hired Monday as an advisor to the Washington Commanders.
(Patrick Downs/Los Angeles Times)
Yes, the same Bob Myers who, as general manager, turned the Golden State Warriors into an NBA giant. The same Bob Myers who worked as a sports agent with Arn Tellem. The same Bob Myers who played basketball at UCLA in the 1990s and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated when he lifted teammate Tyus Edney into the air after the point guard’s legendary baseline basket beat Missouri in the tournament of the 1995 NCAA.
Myers isn’t the first experienced basketball executive to have Harris’ attention: Magic Johnson is part of the Commanders’ ownership group. Clearly, Harris, who is also co-owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, recognizes that the qualities that make a coach or executive successful transcend any single sport.
Myers and former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman will serve on a committee with Harris, Johnson and two other Commanders co-owners that will “make the best decisions for the franchise,” Harris said in a statement. Top of the agenda will be the hiring of a general manager and head coach.
Myers, who is in his first year as an NBA analyst on ESPN after 12 years as the Warriors’ general manager, is a longtime friend of Harris, who Bloomberg reports has a net worth of $8.42 billion.
“In speaking with Josh and his team, it is clear that they will do whatever it takes to build a world-class organization, one that can win on the field and leave a positive mark on the field. [D.C., Maryland and Virginia] community,” Myers said in a statement.. “This is the kind of opportunity that really inspires me.”
Myers, 48, has long recognized the opportunity. He came to the UCLA basketball team after a chance meeting on campus with then-assistant coach Steve Lavin. Although he didn’t score a point until the final regular-season game during the championship season, Myers enjoyed the spotlight alongside the team’s stars, meeting President Clinton, appearing on the “Tonight” show and parading down Main Street in Disneyland.
By his senior year he was already an important part of the team and graduated from Loyola Law School while rising through the ranks at Tellem’s SFX agency. She moved to Wasserman Media Group a decade later and eventually negotiated contracts worth close to $600 million.
After just one year as the Warriors’ assistant general manager, he was promoted to the top job and, in the 2014-15 season, was named NBA Executive of the Year. The Warriors won the first of four NBA championships under Myers that season.
He will now turn his attention to the NFL, helping Harris try to turn around a franchise tarnished by Snyder’s disastrous ownership and Rivera’s poor record (26-40-1) and the team that missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
Myers should align well with Johnson, who explained why he joined the Commanders ownership team in an exclusive interview with The Times: “As soon as Commanders went on sale, I got that call from Josh. The first thing I said to him, just like I said to Mark Walter of the Dodgers, ‘Do you want to win?’ That’s my number one question to everyone. I want to win. He said yes. And what I love about him is that he said that he wants me to have an important role.”
The head coaching search has already begun. Washington has requested permission to interview Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, and Baltimore Ravens associate head coach Anthony Weaver, according to ESPN and NFL Network.
“In my experience, championship infrastructure starts with a strong ownership group that prioritizes culture and invests in the most talented and innovative leaders in the industry,” Myers said.
Without a doubt, Myers is one of those leaders in Harris’ eyes.
