14 years. That’s how long ago the Warriors’ ownership changed hands. That was a key moment in the franchise’s history as they have turned into one of the greatest sports dynasties. Sure enough, major credit goes to the players who left their all on the court every night and won the team 4 NBA championships. But a lot of pieces also needed to fall in place behind the scenes to make things happen. One such piece was the team’s minority owner, Chad Hurley.

Sounds familiar? Maybe because he is also one of the masterminds behind the creation of YouTube. Surely, many of you would be wondering how a tech entrepreneur became the co-owner of the NBA’s most valuable team. So, here’s the answer.

From PayPal employee to a revolutionary tech entrepreneur

While Julius Erving was building his legacy with the Sixers, just a few miles away from Philly, Chad took his first breath in Reading, Pennsylvania, on January 24, 1977. Born to parents, Joann and Don Hurley, he was the middle child among three siblings.

As Chad was growing up, he generated interest in diverse fields, including arts and technology, and he went on to complete a degree in Fine Art from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. However, the technology bug never left him, as he also learned HTML and web design during his teenage years and even won two state championships as part of his High School’s Technology Student Association.

Pursuing his passion for the field, Chad Hurley became a part of PayPal and worked on enhancing their user interface. His knowledge of design kept his creative juices flowing, and he merged it with his technical prowess. But he did not stay a PayPal employee for very long. At work, he met his colleagues Jawed Karim and Steve Chen, and the trio went on to co-found YouTube in 2005. With the future of media heading to a visual medium, Hurley knew what their platform was offering was unique and revolutionary.

“I think video is a different experience. A lot of the brands that we’re dealing with are brands that are trying to tell a story, [like] Coca-Cola and American Express. You can’t tell those stories through text links or relevance. It’s really about engaging people with something that’s interesting to them. So, we see that as an opportunity to keep developing these concepts that engage brands and engage users,” Chad Hurley said.

As expected, several tech giants saw immense potential in the trio’s creation and Google purchased YouTube only a year after its inception for a whopping $1.65 billion! “This is the next step in the evolution of the Internet,” Google’s then-CEO Eric Schmidt remarked after the big purchase.

Despite the sale, Chad Hurley remained YouTube’s CEO for four more years before stepping down in 2010. And that was the perfect time for him to enter the sports ownership business.

How a relationship with Peter Guber led to Chad Hurley’s draft in the Warriors’ ownership!

Upon selling his company to Google, Hurley had $334 million from his stake and more to spend on his next venture. As fate would have it, the Warriors became available for sale the very year Chad stepped down from his CEO role. And Joe Lacob and Peter Guber were looking for long-term partners to join their ownership pursuit.

During the Start-Up Addict podcast six years ago, Chad revealed how he became part of that ownership group, “My brief story of getting involved with the Warriors involved knowing Peter Guber basically.”

As it turns out, Guber used to take a class at UCLA at the time and Chad Hurley spoke in one of his classes. As most great businessmen do, the two stayed in touch and even discussed the potential future of sports and media. And when the opportunity presented itself, Guber invited Hurley to become a minority owner of the team.

Chad Hurley also had ties with Joe Lacob due to their shared interest. “I had also been involved with a Formula 1 team at one point in my life. Yeah, that wasn’t the best investment in the world but it did lead me to meeting Joe.” Yes, with Chad in the Formula 1 world for some time and Lacob’s interest in collecting cars, the two hit it off instantly, making their future partnership even smoother.

“Joe was able to work his magic and I just kind of jumped on board because of it. Just right place at the right time,” Hurley remarked, highlighting Lacob’s $450 million purchase of the Warriors fourteen years ago. Moreover, the investment matched with Chad’s love for sports as growing up around Philly, he was a big Eagles and Sixers fan. And just four years later, he even purchased a stake in the Los Angeles Football Club along with Lakers legend Magic Johnson and several other business giants.

With the Golden State Warriors’ meteoric rise following the purchase, it is safe to say that it was a great investment from YouTube’s co-founder as he said, “At the time when we invested, it was a record price for a basketball team… it just continues to rise.”

The Bay Area side is currently valued at $8.28 billion, making them the most valuable NBA franchise. Meanwhile, Chad Hurley sits comfortably with a net worth of over $800 million and YouTube’s value has also grown to a whopping $455 billion.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.