On the latest episode of JaneWallStreet Presents: At The Table, a biweekly podcast exploring the intersection of sports, media, and finance through the lens of (mostly) female decision-makers, JaneWallStreet Executive Chair, Deirdre Lester, sits down with A-Rod Corp Chief Business Officer & Minnesota Timberwolves Chief Strategy Officer Kelly Laferriere.

In this 40-minute conversation, the pair talk through a multitude of topics including:

The Shared Ownership Flywheel

Owning clubs in both the NBA and WNBA (Minnesota Lynx) creates obvious business advantages.

“We're very bullish on a shared services approach, whether it's business analytics, finance, a lot of [our] back-of-house functions [are] shared, [and the] infrastructure [is the same] for the women as the men. The people that work [for the organization] work year-round on both teams. It’s a very cohesive environment,” Laferriere said.

But the bigger upside may come from audience expansion. The two teams have far less fan overlap than one might assume.

“There's only 4% overlap between the Timberwolves and Lynx [fanbases].  How do we get new folks to the arena, to the table, to really experience both [is the goal]. That stat is Exhibit A [in terms of the] untapped [opportunity] for us,” she added. 

Reach, Revenue, and Local Rights

With their Main Street Sports Group deal ending a year earlier than expected, the Timberwolves and Lynx were forced to find new local broadcast homes on an accelerated timeline. Leadership had to weigh the tradeoff between reach and revenue.

The Lynx now “have a new partnership with Victory+. So, [their games air on] a direct-to-consumer [service]. It's free for fans. We thought that was really helpful [in building fandom] and important with [that franchise] particularly because of this growth mode that they're in,” Laferriere said. “There's [also] a lot of data that we can [get from Victory+] in terms of reaching our consumers, understanding how long they're watching, where they're watching from [etc.]. It's a much more robust partnership than we've had in the past.”

The Timberwolves have yet to announce where their games will air next season. But it doesn’t sound like the club is headed back into the pay TV bundle.

“We've had a number of good offers around the Timberwolves and [are] excited to soon announce where we're going to land there. Again, we value that direct-to-consumer relationship. That's a theme that you're going to continue to hear,” Laferriere said.

Building Fan Trust Through History 

Rather than guessing on how to improve the fan experience, Timberwolves owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore went directly to fans, asked them to prioritize the changes they wanted to see, and used those responses to guide the organization’s early moves under new leadership. Surprisingly, the clearest request was not for cheaper seats, improved concessions, or arena upgrades, but restoring a sense of history, family, and belonging around the franchise.

“When we first closed, the first order of business [was to conduct] a fan survey [and identify the fans’ priorities]. And Marc's really good at this. His background is in consumer [and] e-commerce. [So, he] really understands how to get to the heart of what consumers want,” Laferriere said. “Well, the number one thing [the fans wanted] was to bring back Kevin Garnett, who is the most successful and famous player who's ever been associated with the franchise, and had been estranged for almost 10 years…It took time, but we were able to create a partnership with him at the end of 2025, which is basically for him to be an ambassador for the organization.” 

📺 Watch the full episode on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube page.
🎧 Listen or watch on Spotify.

We’ll be back with the next episode of JaneWallStreet Presents: At The Table on July 16. Rasenberger Media Founder & President Cathy Rasenberger will be our guest. 

Catch previous episodes of At The Table, including our sit-down with LOVB Chief Growth Officer Stephanie Alger, former Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) Global Head of Sports Julie Souza, Head of Fubo Sports Network & Fubo Studios Pamela Duckworth, former Barstool Sports CEO & current Mule Media Co-Founder Erika Badan, ATHLOS Acting President Kayla Green, and former CEO of CBS News Wendy McMahon on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube channel.

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