Profile

He’s been called the “most influential figure in Northwest professional sports” by Washington CEO Magazine and “one of professional sports’ sharpest executives” by the Seattle Times. In 17 seasons as an NBA President and General Manager, “Trader Bob” built teams that made the playoffs 16 times. He transformed the Seattle Supersonics from a non-playoff team into the team with the best record in the NBA. In nine years as president and general manager of the Portland Trailblazers, he built teams that averaged 50 wins per season and he played a key role in the successful completion of the Rose Garden Arena. President of the Seattle Seahawks from 1997 through the beginning of 2005, he negotiated the acquisition of the team for Paul Allen and led a successful statewide referendum that secured $300 million in public funding for the Seahawk’s new football & soccer stadium and exhibition center.

Bob Whitsitt’s rise to the top of the field of professional sports began when he was promoted to assistant general manager of the Indiana Pacers only three years after joining the club as an intern. In 1982, he joined the Kansas City Kings as vice president of marketing. Two years later, he oversaw the team’s successful move to Sacramento. In 1986, he became the president and general manager of the Seattle Supersonics. Just 30 years old, he was the league’s youngest top executive. When Whitsitt joined the club, the Sonics were last in the league in attendance. When he left eight years later, the team played every game in front of a sold-out arena. Whitsitt earned the 1994 NBA Executive of the Year Award for building a team that would soon go on to play for the NBA championship.

Whitsitt’s legacy of success carried over to the Portland Trailblazers and Seattle Seahawks. During his last five years as Trailblazer President and General Manager, the team averaged 53 wins per season, made two appearances in the Western Conference Finals, and drew more than 20,000 fans per game. During his tenure with the Seahawks, Bob built a team that made its first three playoff appearances in nearly a decade, won two division championships, and played in Superbowl XL. He has also served as president of a diverse range of companies, including the Oregon Arena Corporation, Rose City Radio, Action Sports Media, and more. Whitsitt served as the Chief Sports Advisor to ownership of the NHL’s Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle and currently is on the Board of Directors of Diamond Sports Group, owner of the largest group of regional sports networks (RSNs) in the United States.

Today, as a business consultant and attorney, Whitsitt is applying his wide-ranging skills and expertise, his flair for spotting talent, his industry-wide network of relationships, and his proven record of success, to the art of helping people in a wide range of industries achieve their business goals.