George Postolos (born December 6, 1963) is the president and CEO of the Postolos Group LP, a firm that focuses on advising in sports acquisitions of major league franchises. He was formerly the president of the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

and

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

Early life

Postolos graduated ''magna cum laude'' both from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

with a degree in political theory in 1986, and from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1990.

Career

Postolos specialized in mergers and acquisitions for the New York law firm

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is an American law firm in New York City. The firm is known for corporate law, regularly handling large and complex transactions. On both a profit per lawyer, and profit per equity partner basis, it is the most p ...

before becoming the personal assistant to then-NBA commissioner

David Stern David Joel Stern (September 22, 1942 – January 1, 2020) was an American lawyer and business executive who was the commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 2014. Stern oversaw NBA basketball's growth into one of ...

. He was hired as the Houston Rockets' chief operating officer in 1998, at 34 years old. During his time with the Rockets, Postolos played a large role in winning the arena referendum to build

Toyota Center Toyota Center is an indoor arena located in Houston. It is named after the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The arena is home to the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and it was once the home of the Houston ...

in downtown Houston. In 2006, Postolos resigned as president and CEO of the Rockets and started the Postolos Group, LP, an investment and advisory firm that specializes in the sports and live-entertainment business. Postolos became president of the Astros on November 27, 2011, following the sale of the team to

Jim Crane James Robert Crane (born January 17, 1954) is an American businessman from Houston, Texas. Crane is chairman and chief executive of Crane Capital Group, Crane Worldwide Logistics, and Crane Freight and Shipping. He is also the owner and chairma ...

. He replaced

Tal Smith Talbot Merton Smith (born September 27, 1933) is an American former professional baseball executive who has served in high baseball operations positions—including general manager and club president—as well as the founder of a firm that advises ...

. He resigned as president and CEO on May 13, 2013, and was later replaced by

Reid Ryan Reid Ryan (born November 21, 1971) is an American baseball executive, former college and professional baseball player, and son of Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan. He was a pitcher in minor league baseball, and currently serves as the ...

References

* * 1964 births Living people Houston Astros executives Major League Baseball team presidents American chief executives Harvard Law School alumni Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz people Harvard College alumni {{US-baseball-business-bio-stub