Matthew Carpenter-Dennis is a Partner in Simpson Thacher’s Sports, Media and Entertainment Practice. Prior to joining the Firm, Matthew spent more than a decade at the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he most recently served as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel. At the NBA, he oversaw team ownership transactions, debt and equity financings, arena renovation and development projects, and arena lease negotiations.
Read Full Biography...
Work Highlights
- Overseeing team ownership sale and acquisition transactions, equity and debt financings, and arena development and lease negotiations for NBA, WNBA and NBA G League teams
- More than 10 control sale transactions involving teams including the Portland Trail Blazers, the Los Angeles Lakers, and Boston Celtics, among others, as well as more than 100 limited stake investment transactions
- Multiple arena development and renovation transactions, including matters involving the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Hornets
- Advising on WNBA and NBA G League expansion processes
- Drafting the rules to allow institutional investors to invest in NBA teams
- Managing the legal affairs of the NBA’s strategic and corporate development initiatives, including external capital raises for NBA Africa and the WNBA, the establishment of the Basketball Africa League and NBA 2K League and the formation of NBA Investments, the NBA’s corporate venture capital arm
- Advising on the formation of a potential new NBA-affiliated league in Europe
- Overseeing the NBA’s team debt policies and advising the NBA on its league-level credit facilities and the team-level borrowing program, NBA League-Wide Credit Facility
Education
-
Harvard Law School, 2010 J.D.
Editor, Harvard International Law Journal
-
Columbia University, 2006 B.A. Economics-Philosophy
Associations
- Member, Board of Trustees, Merrimack College
- Member, Sports Law Committee, New York City Bar Association (former Co-Chair of the Corporate Subcommittee)
Matthew Carpenter-Dennis is a Partner in Simpson Thacher’s Sports, Media and Entertainment Practice. Prior to joining the Firm, Matthew spent more than a decade at the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he most recently served as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel.
At the NBA, he oversaw team ownership transactions, debt and equity financings, arena renovation and development projects, and arena lease negotiations.
His work at the NBA included:
- Overseeing team ownership sale and acquisition transactions, equity and debt financings, and arena development and lease negotiations for NBA, WNBA and NBA G League teams
- More than 10 control sale transactions involving teams including the Portland Trail Blazers, the Los Angeles Lakers, and Boston Celtics, among others, as well as more than 100 limited stake investment transactions
- Multiple arena development and renovation transactions, including matters involving the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Hornets
- Advising on WNBA and NBA G League expansion processes
- Drafting the rules to allow institutional investors to invest in NBA teams
- Managing the legal affairs of the NBA’s strategic and corporate development initiatives, including external capital raises for NBA Africa and the WNBA, the establishment of the Basketball Africa League and NBA 2K League and the formation of NBA Investments, the NBA’s corporate venture capital arm
- Advising on the formation of a potential new NBA-affiliated league in Europe
- Overseeing the NBA’s team debt policies and advising the NBA on its league-level credit facilities and the team-level borrowing program, NBA League-Wide Credit Facility
He was also responsible for managing the legal affairs of the NBA’s strategic and corporate development initiatives, including a $75 million capital raise by the WNBA—the largest capital investment in a women’s sport property at the time—and the restructuring of NBA Africa. He oversaw the establishment of the Basketball Africa League and NBA 2K League and the formation of NBA Investments, the NBA’s corporate venture capital arm. He served as Secretary for NBA Africa and was a founder and served as Secretary at the NBA Foundation and the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition.
Prior to joining the NBA, Matthew was an associate at another large international law firm.
Matthew received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2010. He received his B.A. in Economics and Philosophy from Columbia University in 2006. He is admitted in New York.