Peter Holt’s wife Julianna Hawn Holt will be taking over the position of Chairman and CEO of the San Antonio Spurs basketball operation. The news kind of freaked out analysts and caused immediate speculation about Peter Holt’s health – a popular guess is cancer. Disregarding speculation, Julianna is a seasoned businessperson and has been involved with the organization for twenty years. When I say involved, I’m talking high level management.
In addition, Peter Holt’s wife Julianna Holt has been a partner in the banking business for at least 30 years. Her father and uncle founded a bank called American Bank in 1970. Later, Peter and his wife created Hawn Holt Sports & Entertainment and took over the Spurs, immediately ushering in a golden age for the team. A recent article on NBA.com pointed out the fact that the Spurs have reached the playoffs 19 seasons in a row! That is incredible, people. No wonder David Aldridge (probably the most respected mainstream basketball analyst in the world) considers the ownership group the “gold standard.” Honestly, Julianna has a lot to do with that. She is not your typical sports wife at all. She’s a gifted manager and businessperson.
This is a large operation. Peter Holt’s wife has both hands elbow-deep in business. Their group actually has stakes in four other sports programs in and around San Antonio. Obviously the Spurs are the jewel of the crown. Julianna Holt has said that she’s looking forward to taking a more visible part of the management and ownership since she’s stayed behind the scenes a lot of the time. It should be noted that both Peter and Julianna hold equal stakes in the Spurs, though. Staying behind the scenes doesn’t at all mean less power, in this case. I get the sense, along with everybody else, that this transition will be seamless. Another noteworthy item outside of the world of basketball is the Holts’ interest in race horse ownership. They pay big money for their animals. They paid $1 million for a two year-old named Dash of Sweet Heat back in 2012. That’s the tip of the iceberg when it comes to their involvement in horse ownership. In general, this couple knows how to pick winners.
