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Alex Lasry
Born
Alexander Jacob Lasry

1987 or 1988 (age 36–37)
New York City, US
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania (BA)
New York University (MBA)
OccupationBusinessman
EmployerMilwaukee Bucks
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseLauren Markowitz[1]
RelativesMarc Lasry (father)

Alexander Jacob Lasry (born 1987 or 1988[2]) is an American businessperson and executive of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Lasry was a Democratic candidate in the 2022 United States Senate election in Wisconsin, but withdrew before the primary.[3] He is the son of former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry.

Early life and education

Alex Lasry was born in New York City to Marc and Cathy Lasry (née Cohen).[4] He graduated from Trevor Day School, where his mother served as a board member.[4] He then went on to graduate cum laude with honors in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2009 and receive his MBA from the New York University Leonard Stern School of Business in 2014.[4] His parents funded two endowed professorships at Penn.[4][5]

Career

After graduating from UPenn, Lasry spent two months with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee followed by four months as an analyst with Goldman Sachs.[4][6] At the time, Lasry's father was a client of Goldman Sachs.[7] He worked in the White House during Obama Administration from 2009 to 2012.[8] His father donated more than $500,000 to the Barack Obama 2012 presidential campaign.[4][7][9] Lasry went on to become Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff to Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, and then Deputy Counselor for Strategic Engagement to the Senior Advisor where he worked on business outreach and the Jobs Council.[10]

After receiving his MBA in 2014, Lasry moved to Milwaukee when his family purchased the Milwaukee Bucks, to serve as the team's senior vice president.[11][12] Since joining the Bucks, Lasry has been on the team's management committee.[13]

While finance chair of the Milwaukee Host Committee,[14] Milwaukee was awarded the 2020 Democratic National Convention to be hosted at Fiserv Forum, though it later became a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8][15]

During his US Senate campaign, he has touted his work championing union jobs and a $15 minimum wage with the Bucks[16] which was a requirement in the arena funding deal.[17][16] Reports also show that specifics of the deal the Bucks agreed to for public financing said they did not have to institute a universal $15 minimum wage until 2023. As such, the team was still hiring non-union labor at a rate of $12.50 to $14/hr depending on experience levels for many years and Deer District workers were only earning $10 an hour as of May 2019.[16] The team has said they had agreed to speed up the deal and started paying a $15 minimum wage in 2020.[18]

Lasry has been involved in Bucks' conflict with the unions caused by hiring non-union workers with lower wages which team reps originally described as "a matter of economics".[19][16] Lasry also continues to own shares in Amazon, which he has refused to sell, despite criticizing the company.[20]

While running for US Senate, Alex received an extension in May 2022 to not disclose his financial assets until after the Wisconsin Democratic Senate Primary in August 2022.[21]

In August 2020, when members of the Bucks supposedly leaked to NBA reporter Shams Charania that they were attempting to reach Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul after the Kenosha police shooting of Jacob Blake, records show that Lasry texted a staffer of Kaul's to say that he "yelled at the players" over the leak.[22]

Lasry was accused of cutting in line because he received his COVID vaccine at the time when only seniors were eligible for shots in Wisconsin.[2] He said his wife's uncle contacted her about unused doses that would go to waste.[2][23] She declined the shot because of her pregnancy, and Lasry took it instead.[2][24]

Political positions

Lasry has expressed support for a $15 minimum wage, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, the notion of eliminating the filibuster, and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.[7][25]

Personal life

Lasry lives in Milwaukee with his wife and daughter in a historic mansion on Milwaukee's east side.[26]

References

  1. ^ Hauer, Sarah; Steppe, John (March 3, 2020). "You're All Set to Get Married and Then the Coronavirus Pandemic Hits. What Now?". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  2. ^ a b c d Bice, Daniel (January 29, 2021). "Bice: 33-year-old Bucks exec Alex Lasry got COVID-19 vaccine, says he was 'lucky' to jump line". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  3. ^ Otterbein, Holly; Levine, Marianne (July 27, 2022). "Mandela Barnes gets open path to take on Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson". Politico. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Bice, Daniel (August 13, 2021). "U.S. Senate candidate Alex Lasry's ritzy roots include elite schools, Michael Jackson home, $50 million-plus trust". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  5. ^ "Cathy and Marc Lasry, parents | Penn Arts & Sciences Endowed Professors". web.sas.upenn.edu. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  6. ^ Buckner, Candace (May 10, 2021). "Wall Street roots. NBA owner's son. Wisconsin's next Democratic senator?". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Grim, Ryan; Chavez, Aída (February 21, 2021). "Son of Wall Street Mogul Running for Wisconsin Senate Seat Was Pleasantly Surprised Milwaukee Is a Normal City". The Intercept. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Rovito, Rich (November 7, 2018), "Bucks VP Alex Lasry Chats About His Bid to Bring the Democratic National Convention to Milwaukee", Milwaukee
  9. ^ McCormick, John (February 28, 2021). "Alex Lasry, a Wealthy Democrat, Is Targeted by Both Parties in Wisconsin Senate Race". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  10. ^ Alex Lasry
  11. ^ Gallagher, Kathleen (April 16, 2014), "Milwaukee Bucks' new owners manage billions of dollars in investments", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
  12. ^ Zillgitt, Jeff (July 18, 2021). "Bucks players inspired owner's son Alex Lasry to run for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin". USA Today. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  13. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks draw on region's history for new logo", Sports Illustrated, April 13, 2015
  14. ^ Small, Taurean (March 17, 2022). "'What people are looking for are non-politicians who can go and actually deliver': Alex Lasry reintroduces himself to voters in bid for U.S. Senate". Spectrum News 1. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  15. ^ Aldridge, David (October 28, 2020). "Bucks VP Alex Lasry on his city's state of mind, and why the Deer unraveled". The Athletic. Retrieved June 6, 2022. Alex Lasry was a key figure in getting the 2020 Democratic Convention to be awarded to Milwaukee, and to the Bucks' home arena, Fiserv Forum – which also was set to be one of the many NBA arenas to serve as in-person absentee voting locations in the election.
  16. ^ a b c d Murphy, Bruce. "Murphy's Law: Lasry Misleads Voters On Minimum Wage". Urban Milwaukee. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  17. ^ Kirchen, Rich (October 16, 2017). "Bucks believe their $15 wage-goal can be model". The Business Journals.
  18. ^ Glauber, Bill. "Fiserv Forum, arena employees reach tentative contract for $15 an hour minimum wage". Journal Sentinel. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  19. ^ Nelson, James (September 6, 2018). "Stagehands union members display displeasure with Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  20. ^ Bice, Daniel (April 25, 2022). "Bice: Wisconsin's Democratic U.S. Senate candidates criticize Amazon, but still own its stock or rely on it in other ways". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  21. ^ Journal, Alexander Shur | Wisconsin State. "Millionaire Alex Lasry gets extension, won't have to disclose assets until after August primary". madison.com. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  22. ^ ANANTHARAMAN, MAITREYI (February 17, 2022). "33-Year-Old Bucks Exec Alex Lasry Wants To Be A Senator Now". defector.
  23. ^ Richmond, Tom (January 29, 2021). "33-year-old Bucks exec. Alex Lasry gets COVID vaccine early". ABC News. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  24. ^ Nunley, Christian (February 17, 2021). "Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry to run for Senate in 2022". CNBC. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  25. ^ Kremer, Rich (June 26, 2022). "Democratic US Senate candidates call for ending filibuster to restore federal abortion protections". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  26. ^ Hauer, Sarah. "U.S. Senate candidate Alex Lasry and his wife Lauren buy a historic mansion on Milwaukee's east side". Journal Sentinel. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
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