Retired Hennepin County (Minn.) District Court Judge Thomas Fraser will serve as the neutral arbitrator in the upcoming legal proceeding that will likely settle the ownership future of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.
Fraser is one of three people who will oversee the contractually obligated arbitration as part of the long-standing dispute between current Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor and a purchase group led by Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, according to multiple people familiar with the process. The other two arbitrators will be retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Kathleen Blatz (appointed by Taylor) and Wilson Sonsini partner Joseph R. Slights III (appointed by Rodriguez/Lore), said the people, who were granted anonymity because the process is not public.
The arbitration will start the week of Nov. 4, the people said, and will likely settle the months-long dispute between the two groups. Lore and Rodriguez reached an agreement in 2020 to buy the Timberwolves and Lynx from Taylor in multiple stages for about $1.5 billion. The third payment, which would have transferred control of the team, was due earlier this year, but Taylor announced that transaction was off due to missed deadlines. Lore and Rodriguez say they’ve abided by the terms of the purchase agreement.
The deal between Taylor and the buyers was unique from the beginning—Lore and Rodriguez didn’t have the money in full when the deal was approved, and the full acquisition could have happened over roughly four years. It’s become one of the more drawn-out major sales in modern U.S. sports, and one that could lead to a change in NBA policy. Commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this year that the league might have to rethink its rules on tiered sales.
A representative for Taylor declined to comment; a representative for Lore and Rodriguez didn’t immediately respond. Slights didn’t respond to an email seeking comment, while attempts to reach Blatz and Fraser were unsuccessful.
The Timberwolves process is heading to arbitration after a one-day mediation session four months ago failed to reach a resolution. Under the pre-approved dispute resolution agreement, the arbitration will be conducted by a three-person panel—one selected by each side and then a third approved by both. That third arbitrator, Fraser in this case, is viewed as neutral and is commonly the deciding vote. The two arbitrators chosen by individual sides sometimes advocate for the party who selected them.
Fraser is an accomplished attorney who has received acclaim for his litigation work. He also has prior ties to sports disputes. Fraser served as counsel in Reggie White v. NFL, an antitrust case from the early 1990s. The case led to a settlement that featured the recognition of free agency for NFL players and led to the adoption of a salary cap system. Fraser represented Leslie O’Neal, a player who objected to the settlement. Fraser’s familiarity with sports litigation should furnish him with insight on the Timberwolves’ dispute.
Blatz, who is Taylor’s pick, served as chief justice of the Minnesota State Supreme Court from 1998 to 2006, the first woman to hold the position. She is a prominent member of the Minnesota legal community and has substantial experience as an arbitrator. She also has sports experience, having served as interim chair of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority in the late 2010s.
Slights, who was chosen by Rodriguez and Lore, is a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati’s Wilmington, Del., office, and a former vice chancellor of Delaware’s Court of Chancery, which oversees legal disputes involving Delaware corporations. His appointment as vice chancellor is a recognition of his extensive knowledge and respected judgment in the areas of corporate and business law. He is also a former judge on the Superior Court of Delaware, and, according to his law firm, he has tried more than 25 jury trials to verdict.
Slights also has familiarity with pro basketball disputes. As vice chancellor, he presided over a lawsuit brought by former NBA player Roger Mason Jr. against the Big3 in 2018. The case concerned Mason’s firing as commissioner of the league. Mason, who played 10 seasons in the NBA, accused the Big3 of financial mismanagement and claimed its executives made racially insensitive remarks. The litigation eventually ended in a settlement.