The way Tim Harris ended up at UCLA is almost quietly amazing. He built one of the most lucrative professional sports teams over the course of 35 years. During the Lakers’ most turbulent ownership changes, he was part of Jeanie Buss‘ inner circle. In February, he left the organization, seemingly prepared to take a back seat. Then, in a matter of months, he was stepping into one of the trickier situations in college athletics—pro bono, not for pay, because he claimed to love UCLA and care about its future.
Such a dedication is either incredibly genuine or a compelling narrative. It’s most likely both, given what is known about Harris and his past. Anyone familiar with Los Angeles sports is familiar with Harris, who earned a sociology degree from UCLA in 1989. For many years, he served as the Lakers’ president of business operations and was primarily in charge of the team’s business side, which included partnerships, sponsorships, and revenue streams that helped the Lakers become more than just a basketball team.
According to reports, when the Buss family sold the team to Mark Walter, he was among those who received a sizable financial bonus. According to most accounts, he departed comfortably and on his own terms. The man didn’t require a second job.
And yet here he is, entering the UCLA athletic department with seven years’ worth of cumulative deficits totaling $241 million. There is no rounding error in that number. Despite his skill, Martin Jarmond was unable to resolve the structural issue during his six years as athletic director. Despite winning three NCAA titles the previous season—including a historic run by the women’s basketball team—the athletic department still needed frequent university bailouts to continue operating. Chancellor Julio Frenk appears to have determined that this was the time to make a change rather than wait for a more subdued one because excellence on the court and financial instability in the office cannot coexist indefinitely.
It’s difficult to ignore the hire’s indication of what UCLA feels it truly needs at the moment. This isn’t your typical search for an athletic director. Harris has no prior experience with conference negotiations, coaching hires, or compliance. Building, organizing, and maintaining revenue is his area of expertise.
That background might be ideal in the age of NIL deals, increased media rights, and college sports that increasingly resemble professional leagues in every way but name. Although the deficit has decreased, the Big Ten move two years ago brought in a substantial amount of media revenue, but it also increased travel expenses.
Additionally, there is something noteworthy regarding the timing. After the Buss family sold Walter the Lakers, Harris left the team. Walter later sold the team to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for $12.5 billion. The company he built over his career has now undergone two relatively rapid ownership changes. It’s unclear if that hastened his departure or if it just happened naturally, but the UCLA announcement was made so soon after he left the Lakers that it implies the talks had been going on for some time.
Harris’s connections in Los Angeles and around the world, his experience forming alliances, and his “personal focus on centering the student-athlete experience” were all mentioned in the thoughtful and thorough Frenk letter detailing the hiring. The final sentence is important because it indicates that UCLA isn’t just putting in a business executive and hoping the athletes will figure things out on their own. The true question this hire will ultimately address is whether Harris can manage both of those things—financial recovery and sincere attention to the individuals competing under the UCLA banner.
For the time being, he is starting over at 64, wearing his school colors, and showing up for free. This is worth watching just for that reason.
