For a second time this summer, the Rockets hired a business executive from the Timberwolves. This time, it’s Laura Meyer as senior vice president for business intelligence and performance marketing.
In the aftermath of a recent NBA ownership change in Minnesota, the Houston Rockets are hiring another veteran executive from the Timberwolves.
In June, longtime Timberwolves chief operating officer Ryan Tanke joined the Rockets in the same role. Now, per Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal (SBJ), Laura Meyer has been hired as Houston’s senior vice president for performance marketing and business intelligence.
SBJ has more details on her role:
Lauded for her role in the T’Wolves’ current 94-consecutive game sellout streak — while orchestrating the teams’ efforts to become the first in the NBA and WNBA to deploy 100% digital ticketing — Meyer was recruited to Houston by former Tanke, now the COO in Houston. “She’s an absolute force, and a transformational hire for us,” Tanke said.
Recently named a 2025 SBJ Game Changer, Meyer spent 19 years in Minnesota, focused initially on data and analytics. In 2010, under her guidance, the T’Wolves became the first pro team in the Twin Cities to utilize dynamic ticket pricing, and when the T’Wolves and Lynx successfully converted entirely to a digital ticketing template in 2015, she began ideating ways to make fans’ mobile phones the centerpiece of their game experience.
Eventually, in 2017, the launch of the team’s phone app led to mobile ordering, mobile loyalty currency and discounts, and mobile payment functionality.
Promoted in 2023 to senior vice president of business intelligence, Meyer’s initiatives included a revamped courtside configuration that resulted in a 29% increase in premium seating — leading to significant revenue. She also oversaw the expansion of the Lexus Courtside Club, and, in 2024 led an eight-figure investment that focused, in part, on a renovation of a Target Center restaurant into a 500-member premium space.
Earlier this summer, Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez officially replaced Glen Taylor in Minnesota’s ownership role. Amid widespread changes, another leading executive who left the Timberwolves during that window is former CEO Ethan Casson, now president of the Dallas Mavericks.
In Houston, Tanke and Meyer are working underneath Gretchen Sheirr, president of business operations with the Rockets. Tilman Fertitta has owned the Rockets since 2017, though given his current stint as the new U.S. Ambassador to Italy, it’s his son — Patrick Fertitta — who is most involved on a day-to-day basis.
Sheirr is one of the only women in the NBA to lead a team’s business operations.
Beyond the NBA, both Tanke and Meyer bring experience in building the brand of a WNBA franchise — which Houston hopes to land in the near future.