Houston Rockets’ Tad Brown leaving role as CEO at season’s end

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 06: Tad Brown (L), Chief Executive Officer of the Houston Rockets, and Tilman Fertitta, owner of the Houston Rockets and chairman, Chief Executive Officer and sole owner of Landry's, Inc., one of the largest restaurant corporations, celebrate the Rockets win over Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on February 6, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) (Kevork Djansezian, 2020 Kevork Djansezian)

HOUSTON – Houston Rockets Chief Executive Officer Tad Brown announced on Friday that he’ll be leaving the role at season’s end.

Brown had been the organization’s CEO ever since October 2006 after joining the franchise in the 2002-03 season as their vice president of Corporate Development.

Recommended Videos



“It has been the greatest honor of my professional life to lead the Houston Rockets and Clutch City Sports and Entertainment,” Brown said in a Rockets news release on Friday. “The executives, city leaders, partners and staff I’ve been blessed to work with over the past 20 years represent the best our industry and region have to offer, and all have been critical to building the world class organization that fans and partners on a global scale proudly support today.

“I’m also excited to see what the future holds for me and my family as we look to our next adventure. The Houston Rockets and Toyota Center personnel - past and present - have become an important part of our lives and will always live in our hearts. They’re our family forever. What a privilege it has been to be a small part of Clutch City’s history, truly the experience of a lifetime.”

Brown’s tenure as Rockets CEO overlapped with two different ownership eras of the franchise, from Leslie Alexander to Tilman Fertitta. He helped bring both the 2006 and 2013 NBA All-Star Games to Houston and the Toyota Center.

“On behalf of the entire Rockets organization and my family, I want to thank Tad for his stellar and tireless service to the Houston Rockets franchise,” said Rockets owner Tilman J. Fertitta in the Friday news release. “I could not have asked for a better leader to work with since becoming owner.

“I wish Tad, his wife Janice, and his daughters, Kennedy, Addison, Nikki and Chloe all the best in their next chapter.”


About the Author

Born in Canada but raised in Houston, Howard joined KPRC 2 in 2021 after five years at ESPN. Before that, Howard was a reporter on Houston Rockets and Houston Astros game broadcasts. Among the events that Howard has covered on site: the NBA bubble and the Basketball Hall of Fame inductions for both Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. He's H-town proud!

Recommended Videos