As Chief Operating Officer of Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (MSG Sports), Jamaal Lesane works closely with executive leadership to strengthen the Company’s portfolio and support its long-term direction and growth. This includes supporting MSG Sports’ overall strategic vision, while driving innovation and optimizing corporate performance across the Company’s professional sports franchises. In his role, Mr. Lesane also oversees business operations for the Company’s teams, including the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, directly managing core functions such as strategic planning, marketing, ticketing, and the in-game experience, as well as community and fan development.
Mr. Lesane has been with the MSG Family of Companies since 2008, in roles of increasing responsibility. Prior to becoming Chief Operating Officer of MSG Sports in July 2024, Mr. Lesane served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel, where he was the Company’s chief legal officer. 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 venues, which includes Madison Square Garden.
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 lawyer at Covington and Burling LLP.
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.