Vancouver Ownership

The Vancouver MLS ownership group consists of current Whitecaps owner Greg Kerfoot, businessmen Steve Luczo and Jeff Mallett, and NBA basketball star Steve Nash.


Steve Luczo

Steve Luczo is part of the new Boston Celtics ownership group that led the team to its record 17th National Basketball Association title last spring, the team’s first championship since the mid-1980’s. In 2007, Luczo partnered with Jay Penske in creating the IndyCar Series racing team Luczo-Dragon Racing Ltd. He also has an ownership stake in the San Jose Stealth of the National Lacrosse League.

“The Whitecaps have an exceptional soccer history in North America and I’m excited to be part of the next chapter of the club’s story,” said Luczo.

Luczo currently serves as President, CEO and chairman of the board of Seagate Technology. Seagate Technology is the worldwide leader in hard disc drives, generating 2008 revenues of approximately $12 billion US. Prior to joining Seagate in 1993, Luczo was managing director of the Global Technology Group at Bear, Stearns & Co. Previous to that, he worked in investment banking for Salomon Brothers Inc. The native of Chicago, Illinois, is also the founder of Balance Vector, a multi-faceted company with substantial involvement in investments, real estate and entertainment. He holds a BA in economics and psychology, as well as an MBA, from Stanford University.

Jeff Mallett

Since 2002, Jeff Mallett has been an owner and member of the executive committee of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) San Francisco Giants. Forbes Magazine lists the Giants as the eighth most valuable team in MLB. His involvement with the Giants extends to AT&T Park, which was named the 2008 Sports Facility of the Year by Sports Business Journal. Mallett, who is a former member of the Canadian national and Olympic soccer team programs, became an investor and board adviser to the commissioner and board of governors of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) in February 2008; and was announced as part of Derby County Football Club's ownership group in March 2009. 

“I recall watching the Whitecaps in the old North American Soccer League as a child, and I’m thrilled to now be a part of the Whitecaps MLS ownership team,” added Mallett, who was born in Vancouver and raised in Victoria, BC. “Soccer in British Columbia has seen tremendous growth in the last decade and the idea of bringing the highest level of professional soccer in North America to Vancouver makes for a very bright future for the sport in our province.”

Mallett served as president and chief operating officer of Yahoo! Inc. from 1995 to 2002. A Fortune 500 company, Yahoo! Inc. will generate revenues in excess of $7 billion US for fiscal year 2008. From 2005 to 2008, he served as a director and chairman of the board of SNOCAP Inc., a provider of digital music licensing and copyright management services. Since September 2007, he has been a member of the board of directors of Synacor, the leading provider of private label digital Internet services to North America’s cable and telecom companies.

Steve Nash

Steve was born into an athletic family: his father, John, played semi-professional soccer and his mother, Jean, played netball (think basketball without the running). After two years in South Africa, the Nash family immigrated to Canada. Soon, Steve’s brother Martin was born, followed four years later by Steve’s youngest sibling, Joann. The family played a variety of sports – including soccer, hockey, lacrosse and tennis – in Victoria, on Vancouver Island.

Steve’s sporting aspirations began on Victoria playgrounds. At Mount Douglas Secondary School, his soccer team won its provincial championship, with Steve receiving MVP honors. As a senior at St. Michael’s University School, his teams won both basketball and rugby provincial titles, and he earned MVP nods for excellence in sport. In spite of his love for soccer, rugby and many other sports,

Steve saw early on his potential for professional basketball, and focused on achieving that goal.

In 1992, Steve moved to Santa Clara University in California to pursue his dreams of elite basketball, on a college scholarship. After leading the Broncos to one of the NCAA’s all-time upsets (over the Arizona Wildcats), he graduated with a degree in Sociology from SCU, entered the 1996 NBA Draft, and was drafted 15th overall to the Phoenix Suns.

As Steve’s dreams of playing in the NBA were finally materializing, he was also enjoying the honor of playing basketball for the Canadian National Team at tournaments all over the world, including the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. After two years in Phoenix, Steve was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. While playing for the Mavericks, Steve’s style of play matured into All-Star status.

After a very successful run with the Mavericks, Steve returned to Phoenix. In May 2005, Steve was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, and accepted the award as a team effort. In 2006, he was doubly honored by his second win, and again credited his teammates with bringing about his success.

While his success on the court is legendary, Steve has also been busy building a reputation and a future off the court, feeding off his love of sport – especially soccer and basketball – and his desire to continue to make a positive contribution to the world around him. In 2001, Steve formed the Steve Nash Foundation, a private foundation dedicated to assisting underserved children in their health, personal development education and enjoyment of life. In 2007, Steve was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for his charitable and humanitarian work and his outstanding career as a professional basketball player, and in February 2008, along with Jeff Mallett, Steve became an investor in Women’s Professional Soccer, the highest level women’s professional soccer league in North America. Steve was announced as a member of the Whitecaps MLS ownership team in July 2008.

In July of 2009, Steve announced a Vancouver date for his popular Showdown in Chinatown, an 8-a-side game of futbol in the middle of New York City benefiting children’s programs on three continents.  The Vancouver event, titled 'Showdown in Downtown' will feature stars from the world of professional soccer and basketball.  For more information on the Showdown in Downtown, click here.

More Steve Nash:

SteveNash.org

facebook.com/stevenash

twitter.com/The_real_Nash

MakeItPro.com

ibeatyou.com/user/nash