Tom Brady was announced as a minority owner of the Las Vegas Aces last week, catapulting from a distinguished career in the NFL to the WNBA.
Just like seven-time Super Bowl winner Brady, the Aces have some championship pedigree as well, having won their first WNBA title last season.
It wasn’t revealed what percentage of the team the Patriots and Bucks legend owns, but he seemed excited to move into ownership.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of women’s sports, and I admire the work that Aces players, staff, and the WNBA continue to do to grow the sport and empower future generations of athletes,” he said.
“Being able to contribute in any way to this mission as a member of the Aces Organization is an incredible honor.”
Tom Brady recently joined the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces ownership group
Brady chats with Kelsey Bloom (second left) and Chelsea Gray from last year’s Las Vegas Ice
But while Brady was a unique talent on the instep, he’s far from the first athlete to get involved on the ownership side.
Here, DailyMail.com lists some other big names to head upstairs…
Serena Williams
After a stellar tennis career with 23 Grand Slam singles titles, Serena Williams continues to chase greatness off the court.
Along with her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, and daughter, Olympia, Williams has become a major investor in Angel City FC that came to prominence last year.
But it wasn’t the tennis star’s first foray into ownership.
Serena Williams is a major investor in the NWSL’s Angel City Soccer Club, which debuted last year
In 2009, she and her sister Venus became minority owners in the Miami Dolphins – making them the first black female minority owners in the NFL.
Angel City finished eighth out of 12 teams in their first season and welcomed Matthew Stafford and his family as investors last week.
USWNT legends Mia Hamm, Julie Foddy, and Abby Wambach are also among the star-studded list of investors.
Lewis Hamilton
As of August 2022, the NFL has Formula 1 ownership in its ranks.
The Denver Broncos were purchased for $4.65 billion by the Walton-Penner Group, and they added Lewis Hamilton as an investor before closing the deal.
The group is led by Wal-Mart billionaire Rob Walton.
While it doesn’t look like Hamilton has made a public trip to Denver yet, he did acknowledge the news on Twitter at the time.
Lewis Hamilton shared a photo of his dog, Roscoe, when he announced his partnership with the Broncos
“Excited to join such an amazing group of owners and become part of the Broncos story!!,” he wrote.
We are honored to work with a world class team and serve as an example of the value of the most diverse leadership in all sports. Roscoe already thinks he made the team.
After a disastrous 5-12 season last year, the Broncos certainly won’t be hurt by having the seven-time F1 champion in the organisation.
Patrick Mahomes
After his second Super Bowl victory in February, Patrick Mahomes is still on top of his game – and the best quarterback in the NFL.
However, that hasn’t stopped him from putting more on his profile outside of football, as he’s very invested in baseball and soccer.
He was the first to dip his toe into the ownership complex in 2021, buying a minority stake in his Kansas City, sister property.
Patrick Mahomes is seen throwing the first pitch for the Royals in 2018 at Kauffman Stadium
Mahomes reportedly put $10 million into the baseball team.
But the soccer star didn’t end there, as he later invested in both KC’s professional soccer teams – Sporting KC of MLS and Kansas City Current of the NWSL.
Mahomes’ wife Brittany is also part owner of Current.
Michael Jordan
Arguably the biggest name on this list, and the only one who was the primary owner of their team, Michael Jordan purchased the Charlotte Hornets (then the Bobcats) in 2010 from Bob Johnson.
Jordan paid just $180 million for the team after a legendary NBA career and a (still active) Nike partnership.
Jordan is now said to be in “serious talks” to sell its majority stake in the concession, whose value has ballooned to $1.7 billion according to Forbes.
Michael Jordan, seen with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, has owned the Hornets since 2010 but may sell the team soon
For now, Jordan is still part of the NBA ownership community, and his Hornets were not entirely successful during his time there.
Since Jordan’s first season in Charlotte — 2010-11 — the Hornets have the fifth-worst record in the NBA (421-596) and haven’t won a series game.
Jordan previously had a 10 percent stake in the Washington Wizards, but had to sell it to comply with NBA rules against player owners as he made a forgettable comeback in the nation’s capital.
LeBron James
The Lakers star will follow Jordan into the Basketball Hall of Fame, become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer this season and could finally buy a team like Mike’s.
But at the moment, James is a part-owner of both Liverpool and Boston Red Sox through the Fenway Sports Group.
James first got involved with Liverpool in 2011, with his initial stake of $6.5m turning into $32m as of 2018. PSG initially bought the historic Merseyside club for $400m, meaning James bought close to 1 % of the club’s shares.
LeBron James is seen during a visit to Anfield in Liverpool in October 2011
In 2021, James increases his stake in FSG and becomes a minority owner of the Red Sox, which is valued at $4.5 billion according to Forbes.
The move was seen as a step towards majority ownership later in life, which according to agent Rich Paul, was what James was interested in.
Paul said, “Yeah, hell.” CNBC in 2021. “He’s very serious about sports ownership.”
David Beckham
As part of the deal he signed to play with the LA Galaxy in 2007, David Beckham had the right to a reduced MLS franchise.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star exercised that option in 2014, with Inter Miami officially firing four years later before making his debut in 2020.
Today, the club is valued at $585 million SporticoBeckham is a co-owner along with brothers Jose and Jorge Mas, and is the managing owner.
David Beckham is the co-owner of MLS club Inter Miami, along with brothers Jose and Jorge Mas.
Beckham also serves as the club’s president.
In 2021, Beckham and the Maas brothers increased their stake in the club and bought out the former co-owners Marcelo Clore and Masayoshi Son, who joined the project in 2014 and 2017, respectively.
Beckham’s stake in the club could become even more valuable if Miami convinces Lionel Messi to join.
Russell Wilson
Traded from the Seahawks to the Broncos last year, Russell Wilson remains linked to Seattle through his ownership of the Sounders in MLS.
He and his wife, Ciara, bought an interest in the team in 2019 — the same year he went on to post a career-low interception average and 31 touchdowns — and it was easy to imagine the quarterback ending his career with the Seahawks.
He said in a video to Sounders YouTube account.
Russell Wilson and his wife, Ciara, bought a stake in the Seattle Sounders in 2019
“And we’re really excited to just build a winning culture. This city is a special place.
Aside from football, Wilson announced in 2018 that he and Ciara were part of an initiative to bring an MLB team to Portland, Oregon.
No such team has yet materialized, though the MLB commissioner has spoken openly of expanding MLB to 32 teams.
Tap forget
There are plenty of other athletes who have stakes in sports franchises.
Kevin Durant and Giants legend Eli Manning each own ownership in NWSL club Gotham FC, while Durant owns a minority stake in MLS’ Philadelphia Union.
Former Nets and Thunder teammate James Harden is also involved in the league through his ownership of the Houston Dynamo – as well as sister club Houston Dash – while boxer Oscar De La Hoya owns 25% of the Dynamo as well.
Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash owns part of the Vancouver Whitecaps, while Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal owns a minority stake in the Sacramento Kings.
And speaking of Lakers legends, Magic Johnson is part of the ownership groups for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the WNBA’s Sparks and LAFC.
Magic Johnson, seen here last year, became owner of the Dodgers in 2012
(tags for translation) Daily Mail
