Terdema Lamar Ussery II, born on December 4, 1958, is a senior partner and general counsel for Verreaux Consulting Group. He has held various significant positions in the sports industry, including his tenure as the former president and CEO of the National Basketball Association’s Dallas Mavericks. While leading the Mavericks, Ussery also served as the president of the Dallas Mavericks Foundation and represented the team as an alternate governor on the NBA Board of Governors. Additionally, he currently holds the position of interim general counsel for Buena Vista Visions. Ussery's extensive experience in sports management and his involvement in various organizations have contributed to his reputation in the industry.
Career
Ussery was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the Watts–Compton section of South Central Los Angeles, California, and attended The Thacher School in Ojai, California. In 1981, he earned a bachelor's degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, where he was a football team walk-on. Ussery obtained a master's degree from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1984. His law degree is from UC Berkeley, where he served as an executive editor of the California Law Review.
Ussery practiced business law at the international firm of Morrison and Foerster representing Bank of America and the Industrial Bank of Japan, among others. He moved to Denver to become the deputy commissioner and general counsel of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) on the invitation of then-commissioner Irv Kaze.
Ussery was appointed as CEO of the Dallas Mavericks in 1997, upon which he announced his goal to make his organization the best sports entertainment company in the country.
In 2014, Ussery was among the finalist to replace Billy Hunter as executive director of the National Basketball Players Association.
Corporate and charitable governance
Ussery holds positions in several charities and companies, including: Dallas Mavericks, President and CEO Dallas Housing Authority, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners HDNet, CEO Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, Board member Board of Trustees, Communities Foundation of Texas. Council on Foreign Relations Wingate Partners, Advisory Board Princeton University, Board of Trustees Member Timberland, Board of Directors Member Treehouse Foods, Board of Directors Member CTS America, Board of Directors Member Texas Health Resources, Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation, Board of Directors Member Dallas After School All-Stars, Board of Directors Member Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Board of Directors