Pro basketball exec outdoes competitors in mining data

Being good at having data — and knowing how to use it — is a business necessity. A pro basketball executive shares some how-to behind his successes.

  • By Traci McMillan Beach
  • | 6:00 a.m. April 13, 2018
  • | 0 Free Articles Remaining!
Mark Wemple. Karlis Kezbers, an executive with the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, uses analytics to boost the business.
Mark Wemple. Karlis Kezbers, an executive with the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, uses analytics to boost the business.
  • Leadership
  • Share

When people think of having a job in the National Basketball Association, they might not think of a data junkie.

But for Karlis Kezbers, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s director of business intelligence and ticket strategy, the whole game is about numbers. Kezbers’ background is in ticket sales and service, but he volunteered for the data-mining gig, believing “the future of the business is in data.”

 

Continue reading your article
with a Business Observer subscription.
What's included:
  • ✓ Unlimited digital access to BusinessObserverFL.com
  • ✓ E-Newspaper app, digital replica of print edition
  • ✓ Mailed print newspaper every Friday (optional)
  • ✓ Newsletter of daily business news
Subscribe

Already subscribed? Sign in.

Latest News

  • December 13, 2025
Report: Small business optimism up, but worries percolate
  • December 12, 2025
CEO of Bradenton EDC announces retirement
  • December 12, 2025
Manatee County to break ground on $40M veterans complex
  • December 12, 2025
Moez Limayem confirmed as USF’s new president

Sponsored Content