Jason Levien

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American sports executive

title: "Jason Levien" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["american-lawyers", "living-people", "jewish-american-sports-executives-and-administrators", "d.c.-united-owners", "philadelphia-76ers-owners", "american-sports-agents", "university-of-michigan-law-school-alumni", "1973-births", "american-chief-executives-of-professional-sports-organizations", "pomona-college-alumni", "21st-century-american-jews"] description: "American sports executive" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Levien" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American sports executive ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

FieldValue
nameJason Levien
birth_date
birth_placeNew York City, U.S.
known_for{{indented plainlist
educationPomona College (BA)
University of Michigan (JD)
children1
spouseMeredith Kopit Levien (divorced)
::

| name = Jason Levien | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = New York City, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | other_names = | known_for = {{indented plainlist|Co-Chairman of D.C. United

Jason M. Levien (born 1973) is an American sports executive and investor. He is the CEO and Co-Chairman of Major League Soccer club D.C. United and the Chairman of the Brisbane Bullets, an Australian basketball club.

Levien is the former CEO and Managing Partner of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. He is the founder and principal of investment firm Neivel Capital and 82nd Street Partners and an adjunct professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School. His net worth has been estimated to be over $290 million.

Early life

He was born into a Jewish family and raised in Metropolitan New York. He celebrated his bar mitzvah in Israel.

Career

Legal work, sports agency, law school adjunct

In 1998, he started work at the Washington, D.C., law firm of Williams & Connolly where he assisted in representing professional athletes. He also was an adjunct professor at the UC Berkeley School of Law where he taught sports law.

In 2005, he negotiated a $33 million deal with the Miami Heat on behalf of Udonis Haslem. In 2007, Levien negotiated a $55 million deal with the Sacramento Kings on behalf of the Kings' leading scorer, Kevin Martin. On July 31, 2008, Levien negotiated what was the largest contract in the history of the Chicago Bulls, a six-year, $80 million agreement for his client, Luol Deng. Levien also represented Omri Casspi and Yotam Halperin, two of the first Israeli players drafted into the NBA, Ukrainian-born center, Kyrylo Fesenko, Courtney Lee, Hedo Türkoğlu and Earnest Graham, among others.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/sports/playmagazine/1029play_basketball.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print|title=From Tel Aviv to the Space Needle, by Way of Slovenia (With Stops in Treviso, Miami and Salt Lake City) |date=October 29, 2006|first=Michael|last=Sokolove|work=The New York Times}} An article chronicling three of Levien's clients drafted by the NBA in 2006, appeared in The New York Times Play Magazine in October 2006.

Philadelphia 76ers

In 2011, Levien emerged as part of an investment group along with Josh Harris, David Blitzer, Michael Rubin and actor Will Smith that purchased the Philadelphia 76ers.

Levien sold his stake in the Sixers to join new Memphis Grizzlies owner Robert Pera's ownership group. He was named club CEO. Pera is the chairman and controlling owner. His partners include Justin Timberlake, Peyton and Ashley Manning, Harold Ford Jr. and Penny Hardaway. Levien oversaw the Memphis Grizzlies' basketball and business operations from 2012 until June 2014, hiring then-head coach Dave Joerger and current VP of Basketball Operations John Hollinger. The team posted a 106–58 regular season record from 2012 thru the 2013–14 season and won more playoff games in that two-season period than it had won in the franchise's history, including its first ever trip to the Western Conference Finals. In 2013, ESPN The Magazine's Ultimate Standings named the Memphis Grizzlies as the best sports franchise in North America. His tenure as Grizzlies CEO ended on May 19, 2014.

D.C. United

In 2012, Levien and fellow Sixers minority owner Erick Thohir were named new majority owners for Major League Soccer club D.C. United, with the goal to get a soccer stadium built for the team.

In 2014, Levien led the successful efforts for a public-private economic development project with the District of Columbia for a new stadium in Washington, DC. MLS Commissioner Don Garber stated on December 2, 2014: "Jason has done an incredible job," Garber said. "He has been laser-focused on trying to build consensus and do a deal that would be good for the District, good for ownership, and ultimately soccer in America will benefit." The stadium development project received the 2019 D.C. Chamber of Commerce Economic Impact Award.

Under Levien's ownership, the club has been in such a tailspin that analysts have been calling the team a "disaster" and many long-term fans are demanding that he sell the team to someone who cares about winning.

Swansea City

In April 2016, it was reported that Levien, along with Steve Kaplan, were in talks with Swansea City, a British football club playing in the highest tier of English football, the Premier League, with the aim of taking a "controlling interest" in the club. Under their ownership, the club was relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2017–18 season. In November 2024 it was announced that Levien along with Steve Kaplan were selling their shares within the club.

Brisbane Bullets

In September 2019, Levien was part of a consortium that acquired a 75% interest in the Brisbane Bullets, an Australian basketball club playing in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).

Levien serves as Chairman of the Bullets and his partners include NBA Hall of Famer George Gervin, and NBA Champion Khris Middleton.

Levien is also an investor in media, hospitality, real estate and technology.

Personal life

Levien has also served as a Democratic strategist and campaign consultant. He was credited as the speechwriter for the keynote speech at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles given by Congressman Harold Ford Jr. Levien and Ford have also co-authored a policy essay on campaign finance reform published by the Harvard Journal on Legislation.

Levien has appeared as a weekly on-air commentator on WFOR-TV in Miami until 2006, and has been a guest on ESPN, ESPNews and National Public Radio regarding the business of professional sports and the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement. He is divorced from Meredith Kopit Levien; they have one child.

References

References

  1. https://michigan.law.umich.edu/faculty-and-scholarship/our-faculty/jason-levien
  2. https://www.insidermedia.com/news/south-eastern/potential-sheffield-united-owners-net-worth-how-does-it-compare-to-other-championship-clubs
  3. [https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/sports/playmagazine/1029play_basketball.html New York Times: "From Tel Aviv to the Space Needle, by Way of Slovenia (With Stops in Treviso, Miami and Salt Lake City)" By MICHAEL SOKOLOVE] October 29, 2006. ''"But look," Levien said, "I'm Jewish — I had my bar mitzvah in Israel''
  4. Veazey, Kyle. (February 16, 2013). "Jason Levien followed roundabout path to Grizzlies' front office". [[The Commercial Appeal]].
  5. "Pomona College Magazine: PCM Online". Pomona.edu.
  6. as a licensed attorney,[http://www.kqed.org/epArchive/R408101000 Jason Levien: Tue, Aug 10, 2004 – 10:00 AM]
  7. "Berkeley Law – Courses@Boalt". Law.berkeley.edu.
  8. Reynolds, Tim. (January 30, 2009). "Haslem agrees to five-year deal, will stay with Heat". St. Augustine Record.
  9. Hamilton, Linda. (August 14, 2007). "Jazz, Fesenko deal almost done". Deseret Morning News.
  10. (2011-06-08). "Sources: Philadelphia 76ers sale talks in progress – ESPN". [[ESPN]].
  11. [https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/8593813/memphis-grizzlies-announce-jason-levien-new-ceo-sources-say Grizzlies pick Jason Levien as CEO]
  12. "Memphis Grizzlies named Best Overall Professional Sports Franchise in ESPN the Magazine 2013 Ultimate Standings".
  13. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/dc-uniteds-new-co-owners-erick-thohir-jason-levien-should-boost-quest-for-stadium/2012/07/10/gJQAGLrhbW_story.html D.C. United’s new investors Erick Thohir, Jason Levien should boost quest for stadium]
  14. (2014-12-02). "D.C. United's stadium wait is almost over". The Washington Post.
  15. "Chamber's Choice Awards & Gala".
  16. "Landon Donovan said it out loud: DC United is a disaster,".
  17. (9 June 2016). "Landon Donovan set to become Swansea shareholder".
  18. (13 May 2018). "Swansea City 1–2 Stoke City". BBC Sport.
  19. (30 September 2019). "Ex-NBA star to take over Bullets as NBL gets another pre-season lift".
  20. https://www.sportico.com/leagues/basketball/2024/george-gervin-buy-nbl-brisbane-bullets-owner-1234804537/
  21. "Neksepo Ventures".
  22. (2002-01-27). "Losing The Old Labels – Newsweek and The Daily Beast". Newsweek.com.
  23. (2012-02-15). "Harvard Law School Journal on Legislation » A Harvard Law School Student Journal". Law.harvard.edu.
  24. "Neksepo Ventures".

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american-lawyersliving-peoplejewish-american-sports-executives-and-administratorsd.c.-united-ownersphiladelphia-76ers-ownersamerican-sports-agentsuniversity-of-michigan-law-school-alumni1973-birthsamerican-chief-executives-of-professional-sports-organizationspomona-college-alumni21st-century-american-jews