Gillian Zucker

Gillian Zucker (born April 21, 1969) is an American sports executive, currently serving as the president of business operations of the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association. Prior to her hiring by the Clippers, Zucker served nine years (2005 to 2014) as the president of the Auto Club Speedway, a NASCAR-sanctioned race track in Fontana, California, approximately 55 miles east of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Clippers

Although the team had a female executive, Patty Simmons ^[1] (an acquaintance of then-team owner Donald Sterling), briefly working in the basketball operations side of the team when the franchise was located in San Diego, Zucker’s hire by the Clippers is the team’s first serious and qualified hiring of a top-level female executive. When she was hired by the Clippers on November 6, 2014,^[2] Zucker effectively replaced long-time team executive Andy Roeser, who not only ran the business side of the team, but also played in role in basketball operations, particularly handling player contract negotiations on behalf of Sterling and the team. Zucker’s role with the Clippers is more defined, as she handles the team’s business dealings, ticketing, marketing, and sponsorships. The hiring of Zucker was the first major hire under the ownership of Clippers' current team owner, Steve Ballmer, and she was among approximately thirty candidates that interviewed for the position of president of business operations. Under her new presidency, Zucker was called-on by Ballmer to oversee the new identity package created for the team, which was officially introduced to the public on June 17, 2015. Zucker, Ballmer, head coach and president of basketball operations Doc Rivers, and the team’s long-time play-by-play announcer Ralph Lawler were among those affiliated with the team that gave out free merchandise with the new insignia to fans throughout greater Los Angeles.

Auto Club Speedway

While at the Auto Club Speedway, Zucker and her team initiated aggressive marketing towards children and minority groups to boost tickets and merchandising sales at the race track.