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Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob present Stephen Curry with his 2017 NBA championship ring.
The Golden State Warriors have been one of the NBA’s model franchises since Joe Lacob took over in 2010. Four championships. Six Finals appearances. The most valuable team in the league at roughly $11 billion, according to Forbes. Whatever Lacob touches in professional sports tends to turn into something significant.
Now he wants to do it again — in a different sport entirely.
Wednesday’s deadline for first-round bids on the San Diego Padres came and went, and Lacob was among those who submitted. The sale process that has been building for months is suddenly moving very fast.
Warriors Owner Lacob Among Five Groups Bidding on the Padres
GettyGolden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob.
Five ownership groups formally submitted bids for the Padres by Wednesday’s deadline, according to The Athletic, and every one of them is described by sources as “very strong.” A sale could be completed as early as the end of March — before the regular season even begins.
Lacob’s bid was among the most anticipated. The Warriors owner has pursued MLB franchises before, making runs at the Athletics, the Los Angeles Angels, and the Los Angeles Dodgers without success. The Padres represent another opportunity, and this time he got his bid in.
The competition is serious. Vuori CEO Joe Kudla has partnered with newly elected Pro Football Hall of Famer Drew Brees, who spent the early part of his NFL career with the then-San Diego Chargers and has long been a Padres fan. Kudla’s apparel brand is reportedly valued at $5.5 billion, which makes that pairing a formidable one. Chelsea FC owner José E. Feliciano is in the mix as well, as is Dan Friedkin, who controls both AS Roma and Everton in European soccer. The fifth bidder has not been publicly identified.
The Price Tag and What It Would Mean
The Seidler family is seeking close to $3 billion for the franchise, per The Athletic, which would shatter the existing MLB sale record. When Steve Cohen purchased the New York Mets in 2020, the $2.42 billion price tag set the benchmark for the sport. The Padres would blow past it. Sportico currently values the franchise at $2.31 billion, meaning whoever wins this process will be paying a significant premium.
The path to a sale was cleared earlier this month when a long-running legal dispute over control of the franchise was largely resolved. The process had been complicated since Peter Seidler’s death in November 2023, but with that uncertainty behind them, the Seidler family is moving forward at speed.
One complication surrounds Lacob specifically. There have been reports suggesting he might consider relocating the franchise to Northern California, where he lives and operates the Warriors. Padres chairman John Seidler addressed it directly, making clear the team will not be moved and that the family wants an owner with genuine ties to San Diego and a commitment to the community.
What Lacob Would Be Taking On
GettySan Diego Padres star Manny Machado.
The Padres have not won a World Series in franchise history. Their last appearance came in 1998. For Lacob, that kind of challenge is familiar territory — the Warriors had not reached the Finals in 40 years when he bought the team.
Lacob also became a part-governor of the Boston Celtics in 2006, and that team won a title two years later. His track record in sports ownership is about as strong as it gets. Whether MLB represents the next chapter of that track record will become clear before Opening Day.
Final Word for the Warriors
This story matters beyond baseball. Lacob would be running two major sports franchises at once. That is an enormous commitment. Warriors fans will reasonably wonder where his focus sits while the team fights for its playoff life at 31-28.
For now, the bid is in. Four other groups want the same thing. Each of them has the firepower to make it competitive. Whatever the Seidler family decides, it will not be for lack of options.
The Warriors built something remarkable under Lacob. San Diego is watching to see if he can do it again.
Keith Watkins Keith Watkins is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. He previously wrote for FanSided, NBA Analysis Network, and Last Word On Sports. Keith is based in Bangkok, Thailand. More about Keith Watkins
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