Name: Chris Wright
Position: T’Wolves & Lynx President
Age: 67
Where I’m from: Yorkshire, England
Where I call home: Minneapolis
Focusing on right now: It’s a balance right now between the T’Wolves going to training camp and the Lynx going to the playoffs. The team that is in the playoffs gets precedence over everybody else, in terms of scheduling, court time, practice time, etc. Because we’re hosting in a different arena, we’re making sure that the arena is ready and that we provide a great Lynx experience.
Best advice: (T'Wolves & Lynx Owner) GLEN TAYLOR has been an incredible mentor for me. I’ve been here 25 years and I’ve been with Glen for 21 years. If I had to summarize it, I would say, “Your word is your bond,” and, “A handshake is really all it should need.” That comes directly from him and we’ve had a number of direct conversations around that and what it means.
A must for a new hire: When we hire people, we look for two completely different things. One, do they have the skillset? I interview everyone that comes to work for the T’Wolves and Lynx, but I don’t ask one skill-set question, that’s down to the hiring manager. I talk about our why and our purpose, which is to lead, inspire and unite, as well as our guiding principles. The challenge for new hires is, Do you understand that even before you come in for an interview?
Exec I admire most: The people I admire the most right now are the Olympians from our Lynx squad (MAYA MOORE, LINDSAY WHALEN, SYLVIA FOWLES and SEIMONE AUGUSTUS). I feel incredibly lucky that I’m around these women that are not only incredible athletes but also incredible people and role models. I respect them so greatly and I’m so proud that I get to work with women of that caliber every single day.
Best book I’ve read this year: I have two go-to authors, MALCOLM GLADWELL and SIMON SINEK. For Gladwell, within the last two years, I've read “THE TIPPING POINT,” “BLINK: THE POWER OF THINKING WITHOUT THINKING” and “OUTLIERS.” For Sinek, (I’ve read) “START WITH WHY.” All fascinating reads.
First thing in the morning: I make my wife a cup of coffee and take it upstairs to her in bed, because her bed is also her office. By the time I’ve woken up and made the coffee, she’s got her laptop out. She’s an independent contractor, and I usually ask her, “How was the commute today?”
Talking tech: The difference between virtual reality and augmented reality. We actually tried out virtual reality inside our concourses last year. We did a deal with Explore Minnesota, and part of the deal with the virtual reality experience was a behind-the-scenes tour of all things Lynx. Augmented reality is a little bit different. We had 11,000 people at a Lynx game the other night; imagine giving them Google Glasses as they sit there and watch the game, with basically real-time data sent to them so that they could see the changing dynamics of data and all of the stats as they are watching the game. I don’t know when we’re going to get that, but it’s very, very intriguing in terms of that set of fans that are really into it from a data and stats standpoint.
Must have music: I’m an old English guy, so it’s anything to do with the THE BEATLES, ROLLING STONES, ERIC BURDON & THE ANIMALS or ELTON JOHN. The traditional English iconic bands and artists.
Food for thought: My favorite food is definitely Indian. I’m a curry guy; I love chicken tikka masala, chicken madras, chicken vindaloo, anything really spicy. After that, my Achilles heel is all those English pastries.
How I unwind: I work out with my wife all the time. My daughter is in the health and fitness industry. My daughter is a coach at Alchemy, so I go to a lot of her classes with my wife. It’s sort of a family affair.
A day in the life: Because we’re a 365-days-of-the-year basketball operation, we have a fairly sizeable staff, with 140-odd people who work on the business side of both the Lynx and T’Wolves every single day. My job as the team President is to try and make everybody else better. To partner with them, to try and sort of help them get to their goals. Because if they get to their goals, then it means that their bosses get to their ultimate goals and it means I get to our goals as a team. There’s a great quote from [Former NBA Commissioner] DAVID STERN, who told me one day, “Never stop selling.” I took that to heart many, many years ago. All I’m trying to do is grow this great game of basketball every single day by selling to whoever is prepared to listen.
