The Licensing International Hall of Fame is home to esteemed executives who have shaped the global brand licensing business. This year’s inductees will be celebrated at the Hall of Fame Induction & Global Rising Star Awards in New York City on December 2, 2026. The luncheon is a fundraiser for our Scholarship Program and will support the LI Foundation in its mission to inspire the next generation of licensing professionals globally.

What does being inducted into the Licensing International Hall of Fame mean to you, both personally and professionally?
For me, this incredible honor is only possible due to the extraordinary people that have guided and supported me over my career. I have had the absolute best colleagues leading me and working with me from all over the world as well as best-in-class licensing and retail partners globally. This award is 1000% attributable to all of them and I am so grateful to have them (and to have had them) showing me the way. Lastly, my amazing family, particularly my wife, have been incredibly supportive of my entire journey here at the NBA.

What first drew you to the brand licensing industry, and what has continued to inspire your passion throughout your career?
I was definitely very lucky to be in the right place at the right time. I’ve always loved sports but I was so fortunate to be in Boston in the early 1980s working for Jordan Marsh, the number one department store in New England at that time. I was in the boy’s department as an Assistant Buyer when Larry Bird joined the Celtics and my boss, Bill Marshall, was the creative genius to develop “Bird” t-shirts and aggressively marketed them, leading to us building huge Celtics “Corners” in every store with a comprehensive merchandise assortment of Celtics products prior to them winning the NBA Championship in 1981! Seeing the incredible fandom for the Celtics and being a part of the buying team led by Bill Marshall first and then myself (with Bill hiring me) to work for the NBA and try to replicate our Boston success all over the U.S. and then the world!

How has the industry changed from when you first started your career, and how has it stayed the same?
The industry is definitely more sophisticated and complicated with multiple retailers, websites, and other distribution channels being served by numerous licensees in multiple categories. Media (social and traditional), our teams, and players are all huge drivers of building fandom these days. The ultimate result though is that fans still love winning teams and popular players, which has not changed.

Looking back on your career, what moment or accomplishment stands out as particularly defining, and why? 
A combination of the early ‘80s in seeing the huge passion for our teams’ and players’ successes (especially the Celtics and Lakers back then) and then into the ‘90s and beyond with the worldwide passion for teams and players from our first international NBA games in Spain, Italy, and Japan. That all led up to the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and the “Dream Team’s” historic exposure to fans globally drove the NBA’s awareness to all corners of the world and was a foundational, unifying pillar that helped fuel our entire business from that moment and beyond.

What is the most valuable piece of career advice you’ve received, and how has it influenced your leadership or decision-making?
Stay focused on doing your job the absolute best that you can and keep innovating and collaborating. I always strive to meet that standard and inspire my team to do the same every day.

Licensing International is committed to developing the next generation of industry leaders through its Scholarship Program. Why do you believe investing in emerging talent is essential to the future of our industry? How can today’s leaders help mentor and inspire the next generation?
Any success that I’ve had is only due to the outstanding team of people that I work with every day, both internally and externally. Emerging talent is vital to any successes as they bring new, fresh thinking and ideas to building our business. We have various mentorship programs at the NBA that I participate in, and they are as or more valuable for myself than for our mentees.

Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future of brand licensing?
For me, I always say that every day is a new adventure here at the NBA. We have so much work to do in building our business in every corner of the world and working closely with our NBA regional offices and our NBA partners globally so that we can continue to build our branded products, retail, and attractions businesses everywhere. Bottom line, there is enormous potential globally for brand licensing!

For table and sponsorship opportunities at this year’s Hall of Fame Gala, please contact Maria Ungaro at [email protected]