Jess Smith has been named president of the Golden State Warriors‘ new WNBA team, the organization announced Tuesday.
Smith takes the helm following a four-year run as head of revenue of the NWSL’s Angel City FC, while also spending previous stints with the San Jose Earthquakes, Columbus Blue Jackets and Oakland Athletics. She has over 18 years of experience in professional sports.
Smith will officially start Feb. 14.
“She thinks really big in terms of what this can become,” Warriors president and COO Brandon Schneider told ESPN. “She’s not thinking ‘we want to be sort of incrementally better.’ I mean, sure, but it’s thinking much bigger in terms of what this team can become, what this league can become, what women’s sports can become.”
The Golden State WNBA team — announced in October as the first expansion franchise since 2008 — will become the league’s 13th club when it commences competition in 2025.
Smith helped build Angel City into a commercial powerhouse, reportedly…
