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Leslie Alexander (businessman)

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Leslie Alexander
Born
Leslie Lee Alexander

1944 (age 80–81)
New Jersey, U.S.
NationalityUnited States
Alma materB.A. New York University
J.D. Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Occupation(s)Businessman, investor, lawyer
Known forowner of the Houston Rockets
SpouseNanci Shnapier Alexander (divorced)
Children1

Leslie Lee Alexander (born 1944) is an American attorney, businessman and financier. He is a former bond trader from New Jersey who owns the National Basketball Association (NBA) team Houston Rockets.

Early life

Leslie Lee Alexander was born in 1944. He was raised in a Jewish family in New Jersey.[2][3] In 1965, he graduated from New York University with a bachelor's degree in economics and later earned his juris doctor from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law.[4][5]

Career

Alexander started his career as an attorney. From 1978 to 2009, he was a member of the California State Bar.[6] He started his career trading options and bonds for the Wall Street firm, Lawrence Kotkin Associates.[3] In 1980, he left to form his own investment company, The Alexander Group.[3] He also owns a 20% stake in First Marblehead, a private student loan company.

Sports team ownership

Alexander bought the Rockets in July 1993. In his first season as owner, the Rockets won their first-ever NBA title. They repeated as champs in 1995. A new arena, the Toyota Center, was opened in 2003. He was named the best owner in the NBA by Forbes in 2008. He also owns a vineyard on Long Island and the related company Leslie Wine, launched in 2008. He also has a residence in Houston.[4] For the Rockets' success on the court (two titles, 55% win percentage across 20 seasons) and financially (once Toyota Center opened, the franchise profits doubled), Alexander was once listed by Forbes magazine as the best owner in the NBA.[7]

In 1998, Alexander attempted to purchase and relocate the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers franchise, but a grassroots bid by local businessmen successfully prevented the sale.[8]

From 1997 until early 2007, Alexander was the owner of the WNBA's Houston Comets. The Comets won the league's first 4 WNBA championships from 1997 to 2000. He sold the team to Hilton Koch in January 2007. The Comets folded a year later.[9]

Personal life

Alexander divorced his wife Nanci (née Shnapier) in 2003, paying a $150 million settlement.[10] They have one child.[3]

Alexander was raised Jewish, but now identifies as Agnostic.[11] He is a vegetarian and an advocate of animal rights.[3] He is a supporter of the Democratic Party and has donated $15,000 in the past 20 years to Democratic candidates.[12]

Alexander was worth an estimated US$1.2 billion in 2006.[3] He purchased the duplex penthouse of 18 Gramercy Park in 2012, reportedly for US$42 million.[13]

References

  1. ^ http://www.forbes.com/profile/leslie-alexander/
  2. ^ Mendelsohn, Ezra Jews and the Sporting Life : Studies in Contemporary Jewry XXIII edited by Institute of Contemporary Jewry Hebrew University of Jerusalem p. 98
  3. ^ a b c d e f Forbes: "The 400 Richest Americans - #322 Leslie Alexander September 21, 2006
  4. ^ a b Rockets: Leslie Alexander Biography
  5. ^ Leslie L. Alexander (Houston Comets)
  6. ^ "Leslie Lee Alexander - #79581". State Bar of California. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ "Oilers Deal Collapses". Orlando Sentinel. November 5, 1997.
  9. ^ WNBA disbands women's pro basketball team in Houston | Reuters
  10. ^ Daily Mail: "Billionaire owner of Houston Rockets buys NYC's most expensive downtown Manhattan condo with outdoor INFINITY POOL and FOUR massive terraces for $42 million" September 13, 2013
  11. ^ "The 400 Richest Americans: #322 Leslie Alexander". Forbes.com. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  12. ^ Real GM: "Follow The Money: Political Contributions Of NBA Owners" By Christopher Reina November 03, 2011
  13. ^ Velsey, Kim (October 22, 2012). "18 Gramercy Park Is Having the Best Fall Ever". The New York Observer. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
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