Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment

Last updated

Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment
Company type Private
Industry
FoundedSeptember 25, 2017;7 years ago (2017-09-25)
Founders
Headquarters
Camden, New Jersey
,
U.S.
Key people
Brands
Total assets $14.58 billion (July 2025)
Subsidiaries
  • HBSE Ventures
  • HBSE Real Estate
  • Devils Arena Entertainment
Website www.hbse.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment LLC (HBSE) is an American sports and venue management company founded by Josh Harris and David Blitzer in September 2017. HBSE owns and operates the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL), along with their minor league affiliates, as well as a future Philadelphia WNBA team. HBSE also operates venues, such as the Prudential Center and Northwest Stadium, and holds a minority stake in the NASCAR team Joe Gibbs Racing. The company is headquartered in Camden, New Jersey, and had $14.58 billion in assets as of 2025.

Contents

History

HBSE was founded in 2017 by Josh Harris (pictured) and David Blitzer. Josh Harris WAS-NYG NOV2023 (cropped).jpg
HBSE was founded in 2017 by Josh Harris (pictured) and David Blitzer.

Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment LLC (HBSE) was founded by Apollo Global Management co-founder Josh Harris and senior Blackstone executive David Blitzer on September 25, 2017. [1] The pair previously led groups that bought the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association in 2011 and the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League and operating rights to Prudential Center in 2013. In 2016, the pair bought the esports organization Dignitas. [2] In 2018, HBSE partnered with the San Francisco 49ers and Creative Artists Agency to establish Elevate Sports Venture, a consulting firm specializing on event marketing and ticketing. [3]

In 2019, the company bought the esports organization Clutch Gaming for $30 million and merged them with Dignitas, forming a parent company, New Meta Entertainment, with investments from Fertitta Entertainment, Delaware North, and Steve Rifkind. [2] [4] [5] HBSE assisted in the development of the Chase Fieldhouse, an arena and sports complex in Wilmington, Delaware, which opened as the 76ers Fieldhouse in 2019. [6] In 2020, HBSE donated millions of dollars to local communities in Philadelphia and Newark in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. [7] [8] The same year, the company pledged $20 million to fight racial injustice. [9] [10] HBSE hired Tad Brown, former CEO of the Houston Rockets, for the same role in August 2021. [11]

In 2022, president Hugh Weber left the company to explore other ventures. [12] The same year, HBSE limited partner (LP) and Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin sold his 10% stake to David Adelman to avoid a conflict of interest regarding Fanatics' growing business. [13] [14] The company pursued bids of the New York Mets and the Chelsea Football Club in the early 2020s before they were sold to other parties. [15] [16] HBSE bought a minority stake in Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) in 2023, with founder Joe Gibbs becoming a LP of the company as part of the partnership. [17] HBSE was valued by CNBC at $14.58 billion in July 2025. [18] The same year the company began managing non-NFL events at Northwest Stadium, home stadium of the NFL team Washington Commanders, which was acquired by Harris in 2023. [19] HBSE had plans to build a new arena for the 76ers, 76 Place at Market East, which was set to open by 2031. They abandoned those plans in January 2025 and announced a partnership with Comcast Spectacor to build a new arena adjacent to the 76ers' current site on the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. [20] In June 2025, HBSE was awarded a bid for a Philadelphia WNBA team to begin play in 2030. [21]

Brands and properties

Ben Simmons dunk 2019 (cropped 2).jpg
Akira Schmid 2023 12 07.jpg
Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) owns the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team and the New Jersey Devils ice hockey team.
Teams
TeamLeagueProcuredNotes
Philadelphia 76ers National Basketball Association (NBA)2011Includes the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex, the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League, the Sixers Youth Foundation charity organization, the 76ers Gaming Club NBA 2K League team, and the Sixers Innovation Lab startup accelerator. [22]
New Jersey Devils National Hockey Association (NHL)2013Includes the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Devils Youth Foundation charity organization. Formerly owned the Albany and Binghamton Devils AHL teams before they folded into the Comets in 2021.
Dignitas Esports 2017The esports organizations Apex and Clutch Gaming were later acquired and merged into Dignitas.
Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR 2023Minority investment partner [17]
Philadelphia WNBA team Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)2025To begin play in 2030. Name to be chosen at a later date. [21]
Organizations
NameTypeProcuredNotes
HBSE Real EstateSports real estate2017
New Meta Entertainment Esports 2019Parent company of Diginitas; investment partner [22]
HBSE Ventures Sports investment firm2020 [23]
Elevate Sports VenturesConsulting firm2020Investment partner [24]
Prudential Center PrudentialCenter.MulberryCommons.Newark.2019.jpg
Prudential Center
Venues
NameLocationProcuredNotes
Prudential Center Newark, New Jersey 2013Home arena of the Devils and event venue; owned by the Newark Housing Authority and operated by subsidary Devils Arena Entertainment. [22] Included the former Grammy Museum Experience. [25]
Loew's Jersey Theatre Jersey City, New Jersey 2021Event venue; operated by Devils Arena Entertainment [26]
White Eagle Hall Jersey City, New Jersey2021Event venue; operated by Devils Arena Entertainment [27]
Wollman Rink New York, New York 2021Public ice rink in Central Park; co-operators with The Related Companies and Equinox Group [26]
Northwest Stadium Landover, Maryland 2023Home stadium of the Harris-owned Washington Commanders; non-NFL event operators [19]
New South Philadelphia Arena Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2031 (planned)Future home arena of the 76ers, the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers, and the WNBA Philadelphia team; co-operator with Comcast Spectacor [28]

References

    1. ↑ "Josh Harris & David Blitzer announce formation of HBSE". NBA.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
    2. 1 2 Hermann, Adam (June 6, 2019). "76ers owners Harris Blitzer acquire esports' Clutch Gaming for reported $30 million". PhillyVoice. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
    3. ↑ Heitner, Darren. "Owners Of 76ers, Devils, 49ers And CAA Partner In New Sports Business". Forbes. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
    4. ↑ "David Abrams Named Head of Investments at Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment". www.sporttechie.com. February 25, 2020. Archived from the original on July 6, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
    5. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (September 26, 2019). "Esports group Dignitas raises $30 million and forms parent company New Meta Entertainment". Venture Beat . Retrieved August 7, 2023.
    6. ↑ Sunnucks, Mike (January 22, 2019). "G League Blue Coats To Open New Arena This Week". Sports Business Journal. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
    7. ↑ "BLOG: HBSE Gives Back to Community". NHL.com. April 17, 2020. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
    8. ↑ Pompey, Keith (April 2, 2020). "Sixers partners Josh Harris, David Blitzer make donations to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Camden's Cooper University Health Care". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
    9. ↑ Pompey, Keith (September 16, 2020). "Germantown's David Gould named chief diversity and impact officer for HBSE". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
    10. ↑ "Sixers parent company commits $20 million to fight systemic racism and championing equality". The Philadelphia Inquirer . August 17, 2020. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
    11. ↑ "Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment Names Thaddeus 'tad' Brown Chief Executive Officer". HBSE. July 12, 2021. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
    12. ↑ Novy-Williams, Eben; Soshnick, Scott (May 16, 2022). "HBSE President Hugh Weber Leaving Sixers, Devils Parent". Sportico. Archived from the original on May 25, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
    13. ↑ Wojnarowski, Adrian (June 22, 2022). "Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin selling stake in company that owns Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils". ESPN. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
    14. ↑ Pompey, Keith (October 20, 2022). "David Adelman purchases share of Michael Rubin's HBSE stake to become Sixers limited partner: 'I'm excited to be involved in a small way'". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
    15. ↑ Grasso, Justin (August 30, 2020). "76ers' Josh Harris is Reportedly out on Buying Mets". SI.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
    16. ↑ Davis, Scott. "The Chelsea sale is reportedly led by two groups fronted by US billionaires with ties to the Dodgers and 76ers". Insider.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
    17. 1 2 Jhabvala, Nicki. "Josh Harris's sports ownership group invests in Joe Gibbs Racing". The Washington Post . Retrieved June 20, 2023.
    18. ↑ Ozanian, Michael (July 8, 2025). "CNBC's Most Valuable Sports Empires 2025: Here's how the top 20 empires in the world stack up". CNBC . Retrieved August 14, 2025.
    19. 1 2 Muret, Don. "HBSE takes over booking FedEx Field events". VenuesNow.com. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
    20. ↑ Blumgart, Jake; Walsh, Sean Collins (January 12, 2025). "Sixers to remain in South Philly, abandoning plans to build a Center City arena". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved January 12, 2025.
    21. 1 2 Dougherty, Tom; Specht, Ed; Snyder, Dan (June 30, 2025). "Philadelphia getting WNBA team as part of 3-team expansion by 2030: "The W's coming"". CBS News . Retrieved June 30, 2025.
    22. 1 2 3 "Ex-Apollo Partner Abrams Joins 76ers Parent as Investment Chief". Bloomberg.com. February 25, 2020. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
    23. ↑ "76ers owners appoint investment chief for esports and other ventures". VentureBeat. February 25, 2020. Archived from the original on July 6, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
    24. ↑ Heitner, Darren. "Owners Of 76ers, Devils, 49ers And CAA Partner In New Sports Business". Forbes. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
    25. ↑ "GRAMMY Museum Experience at Pru Center has closed — but its efforts in music education will continue". roi-nj.com. June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
    26. 1 2 Jackson, Eric (January 18, 2023). "Harris, Blitzer Buy Ripken Baseball in Cooperstown Merger". Yahoo. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
    27. ↑ West, Teri (February 2, 2024). "Jersey City's White Eagle Hall settling into a niche as a regional music powerhouse". NJ.com. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
    28. ↑ "HBSE & Comcast Spectacor Announce Joint Venture to Build World-Class Arena". NBA.com. January 13, 2025. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
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