GRAND RAPIDS GOLD’S STEVE JBARA BACK-TO-BACK NBA G LEAGUE EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
Join us for the wild ride of how an employee looking for a new opportunity, turned entrepreneur and became the owner and president of an NBA G League team the Grand Rapids Gold. Steve Jbara is an entrepreneur and the owner and president of the Grand Rapids Gold , the NBA G League affiliate of the Denver Nuggets. After starting his career in the automotive industry, Jbara took an unconventional leap into professional sports, purchasing a G League franchise in 2013 and bringing it to Grand Rapids. Under his leadership, the organization has become one of the league’s top-performing franchises, culminating in being named the 2025–26 NBA G League Franchise of the Year , while Jbara became the first executive in league history to win Executive of the Year three consecutive years . Beyond basketball, Jbara is an entrepreneur and investor with interests spanning advertising, technology, finance and other ventures.






