Franchise players: NBA execs Steve Mills and Terdema Ussery score as two of the industry's hottest front-office players. Will one gain the ultimate prize of NBA commissioner? - B.E. Corporate Executives Of The Year - Biography

Black Enterprise, Sept, 2003 by Alan Hughes

TERDEMA USSERY CAN EASILY BE SPOTTED at a Dallas Mavericks home game. Standing behind the scorer's desk in a business suit, the CEO's attention regularly shifts between the on-court action and the goings-on in the arena itself--aware of the game and his environment. This came in handy during game four of the NBA Western Conference finals when the shriek of a fire alarm echoed throughout the arena, piercing the din of 20,000 fans anxiously awaiting tip-off.

Ussery quickly directs security and other personnel to ensure that spectators at the sold out arena make an orderly exit. He pinpoints the source of the alarm--a minor kitchen fire. It is quickly extinguished. Crisis averted, he turns his attention toward getting fans re-seated and players warmed up so that the game can begin.

A few days later, Steve Mills sits in a conference room surrounded by the heads of marketing for the New York Knicks, Rangers and Liberty--the teams Mills oversees. The challenge at hand for the president of operations for Madison Square Garden may not be as dramatic as a pre-game arena evacuation, but it is nonetheless critical: boosting season ticket holder renewal rates after disappointing seasons for the Knicks and Rangers--neither of which made it to the postseason.

One strategy includes sending out personalized letters to subscribers to generate excitement about the upcoming season. Another includes a small pin commemorating the number of years the subscriber has been a season ticket holder and a payment plan so that subscribers don't have to lay out several hundred dollars in one lump sum for their tickets. Yet another allows season ticket holders to go online and sell tickets to games (at face value) they cannot attend.

Ussery and Mills represent two African Americans who have successfully ascended the National Basketball Association corporate ladder to become the highest-ranking front office executives in the league. In addition to running the Mavericks, Ussery is CEO of Dallas-based HDNet, the nation's first high-definition television network. In the Big Apple, Mills oversees the NBA's New York Knicks, as well as the NHL's Bangers and the WNBA's Liberty--some $700 million in assets, as estimated by Sports Illustrated. For their achievements and diverse responsibilities, BLACK ENTERPRISE has selected Ussery and Mills as co-Executives of the Year for 2003.

Truth be told, both executives have the business savvy and leadership skills that could someday land them the league's top job--commissioner. In a league noted for its progressive hiring practices and diversity among every level of its ranks, it's not hard to imagine an African American running the league. In fact, both Ussery and Mills have much in common with Commissioner David Stern. The commissioner has a background in law, as does Ussery, and graduated from an Ivy League institution, as did both Mills and Ussery. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey (which lies about 20 miles from Ussery and Mills' alma mater, Princeton), Stern went on to study at Columbia Law School. Ussery began his career in law similarly to Stern. Ussery even served as general counsel and commissioner for a basketball league--the Continental Basketball Association.

In fact, Stern, the man credited for revitalizing and expanding the once-beleaguered NBA, says either Mills or Ussery would be qualified to someday fill his shoes. "[Terdema Ussery] has done it all at the team, league and corporate level," Stern points out. The commissioner lists among Mills' attributes an understanding of many different aspects of the NBA's operation. "Either one of them, without question, [is capable of] not just filling my shoes but improving them."

TERDEMA USSERY: A BALANCING ACT

Command central for Terdema Ussery, or "T" as many refer to him, is a Spartan ex-warehouse that serves as the Dallas Mavericks offices. At the rear of the bustling office is a medium-sized cubicle--its four walls offer relative privacy compared with the open office space. He's a chief executive who manages to balance his time between two very, different businesses. "When I go out that door, I'm on HDNet business," Ussery says pointing to his right--the direction of one of the two doors in his modest office. Gesturing to the opposite portal, the CEO adds: "That door is for the Mavericks." Indeed, Ussery wears two hats and divides his time accordingly, with about 55%-60% of his time allotted to the high-definition television network and the remainder for running Mavericks team operations--both of which are housed in the same downtown Dallas location.

Ussery considers both operations he oversees equally important but, as a technophile, is more drawn to the HDNet business due to its hightech nature and growth potential. "The television network will ultimately be a lot bigger than anything we're doing with the Mavericks," Ussery predicts. The Mavericks generated more than $100 million last year. "It also gives me the opportunity to be at the forefront of an emerging technology that will eventually be the standard in households throughout the country." Ussery expects to have HDNet running profitably within two to three years. He estimates that HDNet has as much as 1-1.5 million viewers.