(
pictured) and
David Blitzer. Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) was founded by
Apollo Global Management co-founder
Josh Harris and senior
Blackstone executive
David Blitzer on September 25, 2017. 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. 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. 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. 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. In 2020, HBSE donated millions of dollars to local communities in
Philadelphia and
Newark in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic. The same year, the company pledged $20 million to fight racial injustice. HBSE hired
Tad Brown, former
CEO of the
Houston Rockets, for the same role in August 2021. In 2022, president
Hugh Weber left the company to explore other ventures. 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. 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. 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. HBSE was valued by
CNBC at $14.6 billion in July 2025. 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. 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. In June 2025, HBSE was awarded a bid for a
Philadelphia WNBA team to begin play in 2030. In October 2025, former
Golden State Warriors general manager
Bob Myers was named company president. He had previously been working under Harris as an advisor with the Commanders since January 2024. ==Brands and properties==