As Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (MSG Sports), Jamaal Lesane serves as the Company’s chief legal officer, working closely with executive leadership to strengthen the Company’s portfolio of assets and support its long-term direction and growth. MSG Sports’ professional sports brands include: the New York Knicks (NBA) and the New York Rangers (NHL); two development league teams – the Westchester Knicks (NBAGL) and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL); and Knicks Gaming, an NBA 2K League franchise.
In this role, Mr. Lesane manages the Company’s legal department across all corporate, commercial, transactional, litigation, regulatory, and day-to-day legal matters. He also liaises directly with the NBA and NHL, as well as other key stakeholders and partners. In addition, Mr. Lesane is a member of the Company’s Diversity and Inclusion Council.
Mr. Lesane has been with the Company since 2008, in roles of increasing responsibility. Prior to becoming General Counsel in March 2022, Mr. Lesane was Senior Vice President, Associate General Counsel. And prior to MSG Sports becoming a standalone company in April 2020 when The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) separated its entertainment and sports businesses, Mr. Lesane was MSG’s Senior Vice President, Legal and Business Affairs. In this role he served as team counsel for the Knicks, Rangers, and Westchester Knicks, while also providing legal support for all other MSG sports properties – including college basketball, boxing, wrestling, and mixed martial arts – occurring at MSG’s performance venues.
Prior to joining MSG, Mr. Lesane worked as an Associate Counsel at Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO), where he provided legal support and counsel to HBO Sports and HBO Licensing and Retail. Prior to HBO, he was a Corporate Associate at Covington and Burling in New York, where he represented public and private companies in mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and public and private placements of debt and equity securities, as well provided corporate law and governance advice to corporations facing crises.
Mr. Lesane serves on the Board of Trustees of the Collegiate School in Manhattan, New York. He is also actively involved in Prep for Prep, a leadership development program that offers promising students of color access to a private school education and life changing opportunities.
Mr. Lesane graduated with a B.A from Yale University and received his J.D. from Harvard Law School. He was born, raised, and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.