GRAND RAPIDS GOLD’S STEVE JBARA BACK-TO-BACK NBA G LEAGUE EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

Join us for the wild ride of how an employee looking for a new opportunity, turned entrepreneur and became the owner and president of an NBA G League team the Grand Rapids Gold. Steve Jbara is an entrepreneur and the owner and president of the Grand Rapids Gold, the NBA G League affiliate of the Denver Nuggets. After starting his career in the automotive industry, Jbara took an unconventional leap into professional sports, purchasing a G League franchise in 2013 and bringing it to Grand Rapids. Under his leadership, the organization has become one of the league’s top-performing franchises, culminating in being named the 2025–26 NBA G League Franchise of the Year, while Jbara became the first executive in league history to win Executive of the Year three consecutive years. Beyond basketball, Jbara is an entrepreneur and investor with interests spanning advertising, technology, finance and other ventures.