ADVERTISEMENTs
Vivek Ranadivé honored at TAAF Awards for leadership and vision
Born and raised in Mumbai’s Juhu neighborhood, Ranadivé moved to the U.S. at 16 with $50, studied at MIT and Harvard, and now owns the Sacramento Kings.
-
Pranavi Sharma - Mon, 26, May 2025
- 22:55 EDT
- 130
.jpg)
Vivek Ranadivé accepting the award. / The Asian American Foundation
Indian American entrepreneur and Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé was honored on May 22 by The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) at its third annual awards dinner, held in San Francisco. The event recognized Ranadivé, alongside actor Stephanie Hsu and actress Lucy Liu, for their contributions to advancing Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) representation and leadership.
“Last night, at our third annual TAAF Awards Dinner, we honored AAPI visionaries and leaders Stephanie Hsu, Vivek Ranadivé, and Actress Lucy Liu who work tirelessly to pave the way for a brighter, more inclusive future for our community,” the foundation said in a Facebook post.
ALSO READ: “I’m Indian 5.0”: Vivek Ranadivé speaks on his journey at TiEcon 2025
They added: “We are deeply grateful for their leadership and commitment to advancing representation across sectors, as they continue to create a world where AAPIs are seen in our full complexity and remind us that together, we are more.”
Ranadivé, 66, is best known for leading the group that saved the Sacramento Kings in 2013, when the NBA and Sacramento city leaders feared the franchise might be relocated to a larger market. He not only kept the team in the city, but also spearheaded the construction of the Golden 1 Center, a state-of-the-art downtown arena that revitalized the area.
Born and raised in Mumbai’s Juhu neighborhood, Ranadivé is the youngest of three children in a Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu family. He studied at Bombay International School and is the nephew of Indian leaders Balkrishna Trimbak Ranadive and Ahilya Rangnekar.
Ranadivé moved to the U.S. as a teenager with just $50 in his pocket. Inspired by America’s Moon landing, he enrolled at MIT at age 16, despite the Indian government at the time not offering financial support for overseas education. He secured foreign exchange funds from the Reserve Bank of India to pay for his first quarter’s tuition.
He went on to earn degrees in electrical engineering from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School. His career began in consulting and tech, where he founded a UNIX consulting firm and later held senior positions at Ford, M/A-Com Linkabit, and Fortune Systems.
Before buying the Kings, Ranadivé served as co-owner and vice-chairman of the Golden State Warriors. In 2013, he led a group that acquired majority ownership of the Kings.
Related
.jpg)
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
ADVERTISEMENT
.jpg)
Video
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login