Mali Friedman is Chief Legal Officer & SVP, Business Affairs for the Washington Commanders. A member of Washington's executive leadership team, Mali oversees the Team's Legal and Business Affairs function and provides organization-wide legal and strategic support. Mali is an experienced sports and entertainment executive with expertise in legal and business affairs, media, digital, sponsorship, and strategic initiatives. Mali joined the Washington Football Team in 2021 as VP, Deputy General Counsel.
Previously, Mali held roles with the XFL, Golden State Warriors, and the National Hockey League and started her career as an attorney at Covington & Burling. Most recently at the XFL as the VP, Legal & Business Affairs, Mali served as the General Counsel and oversaw the legal and business affairs and security departments for the league and all eight teams as the XFL relaunched in 2020. At the Golden State Warriors, Mali managed a broad array of legal and business affairs matters as the Golden State Warriors transformed from a basketball team to a sports and entertainment entity, opened a new arena and surrounding retail center, and won two NBA championships.
Mali is an alum of Stanford Law School and received her undergraduate degree in Public Policy and International Affairs at Princeton University. She also serves as a member of the U.S. Board of Directors of Right To Play, a non-profit established over two decades ago with the mission to protect, educate, and empower children using the power of sport and play. Mali and her husband, Mike, have a son, Max.
