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As managing partner and chairman of Spurs Sports & Entertainment, Peter J. Holt has overseen one of the most significant chapters in the history of the San Antonio Spurs. Most notable among them is the 2023 selection of Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick, a move that has propelled San Antonio to the 2026 NBA Finals. Holt is the third member of his family to lead the organization, continuing a stewardship that began three decades ago.
San Antonio Spurs v Oklahoma City Thunder - Game Seven
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Owner Peter J. Holt of the San Antonio Spurs poses with family and friends following Game Seven of the NBA Western Conference Finals.
Here’s what to know about the Holt family and the ownership group behind the Spurs.
Peter J. Holt comes from a dynasty, but not just in basketball.
Benjamin Holt Meeting with Ernest Swinton
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Benjamin Holt (left) meets with British General Ernest Swinton in 1918, with the track-type tractor in the background.
Holt is the great-great-grandson of Benjamin Holt, who in 1904 developed the first practical track-type tractor, a heavy-duty vehicle that moves on continuous metal tracks rather than wheels, designed for use on rough or unstable terrain. Holt was also the co-founder of Caterpillar, Inc. in 1925.
Peter J. Holt and his sister, Corinna Holt Richter, have owned and managed HOLT CAT since 2017, growing it into the largest Caterpillar dealership in the country, with more than 2,700 employees and 50 locations across Texas. A fifth-generation family business headquartered in San Antonio, HOLT CAT is where Holt serves as CEO and general manager.
It was James’s father Peter M. Holt who got involved with the Spurs first.
The Holt family’s connection to the Spurs traces back to Peter M. Holt, who joined the ownership group in 1993 and became the team’s principal owner alongside his wife, Julianna Hawn Holt. During Peter M. Holt’s 20-year tenure as chairman, the Spurs won five NBA championships—in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014—and qualified for the playoffs for 22 consecutive seasons. He also led the effort to build the AT&T Center, the arena that has served as the team’s home since 2002.
San Antonio Spurs vs Miami Heat, 2014 NBA Finals
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Peter M. Holt holding the trophy after the Spurs won the NBA Finals in 2014.
Peter M. Holt retired in 2016, passing the chairmanship to Julianna, who held the role for three years before their son, Peter J. Holt, succeeded her in 2019 and was elevated to managing partner in 2021.
San Antonio is his hometown.
Milwaukee Bucks v San Antonio Spurs
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Peter J. Holt (right) with Wembanyama in January 2025.
Beyond the basketball court, Holt has maintained a strong civic presence in San Antonio. He serves on the board of SA Works and the University of the Incarnate Word, participates on the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County Executive Committee, and is actively involved in wildlife conservation through the Texas Wildlife Association’s executive committee.
On a more personal level, he graduated from the University of the Incarnate Word with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and lives in San Antonio with his wife, Lauren Kate, and their three daughters, Hazel, Penny, and Tippit.
His sports group runs other teams as well.
San Antonio Spurs v Memphis Grizzlies - Game Four
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Peter J. Holt (center) reacts after Tony Parker of the Spurs is injured during Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals during the 2013 NBA Playoffs.
Under the Holt family’s leadership, Spurs Sports & Entertainment has grown into a multi-franchise operation that includes the Spurs as well as the soccer club San Antonio FC of the USL Championship league, and the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League. The organization also manages day-to-day operations of the AT&T Center and Toyota Field, a soccer-specific stadium in San Antonio.
Holt transformed the ownership group.
When Holt took full control of the franchise, he moved quickly to strengthen its financial foundation. In 2021, the Spurs brought in Austin billionaire and Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell and San Francisco-based global investment firm Sixth Street Partners, which manages more than $50 billion in assets, buying out 11 of the team's then-22 investors in the process. Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia followed in 2022 as a strategic partner. San Antonio businesswoman and KSL Resources founder Kimberly Lewis and EARNEST Partners founder Paul Viera have also joined as strategic partners. In 2023, the McCombs family rejoined the ownership group as McCombs Enterprises after a 30-year absence.
The Holt family remains the largest shareholder, with a stake reported at more than 40%. That would equate to roughly $864 million, according to the San Antonio-Express News, after Sportico.com valued the team at $2.16 billion in 2023.
Another family dynasty is also deeply tied to the Spurs.
SEP 30 1983, OCT 1 1983; Nuggets GM Carl Scheer, left, and owner Red McCombs were observes Friday.;
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Red McCombs (right) in 1983 with Denver Nuggets General Manager Carl Scheer.
The McCombs family has a long history with the franchise. Billy Joe “Red” McCombs helped bring the Spurs to San Antonio in 1973, when he and a group of local investors purchased the then-Dallas Chaparrals of the ABA. He served as the team’s primary owner before selling his stake in 1978, returned as primary owner in 1988, and sold the franchise to the Holt-led investment group in 1993. McCombs also owned the Minnesota Vikings from 1998 to 2005 and died in February 2023 at age 95. Later that year, his heirs rejoined the ownership group, with the NBA board of governors approving the move.
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Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at @rk.passport.