NBA superstars in recent times have shown interest in joining ownership groups of teams in the league to further expand their outreach to the community and their business portfolio through continued involvement in basketball. Michael Jordan, for example, kickstarted the trend as the first majority Black owner of the Charlotte Hornets until he sold his stake this year for an estimated valuation of around $3 billion. Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry has now joined the list of NBA superstars interested in owning teams in the league, along with LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal.
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Curry is now 35 and will probably retire from the game a few years down the line. In a recent appearance on the Dubs Talk podcast hosted by Monte Poole and Dalton Johnson, Curry was asked about potentially owning a team in the future for the sheer impact that would have on the fanbase of that team.
The Dubs superstar expressed his desire to own an NBA team in the future after he retires from the league, “Absolutely. Understanding the business and how it’s run…it fascinates you to understand where the future’s headed. To know that you can be part of an ownership group that’s ushering the NBA to its super prime, from viewership to basketball-related income coming in…”
Many of Curry’s contemporaries, including LeBron James and Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal, have also expressed this desire to establish themselves as owners of possibly new or existing NBA franchises. The hosts of the podcast presented the idea of MLB catcher Buster Posey, who had joined the ownership group of the San Francisco Giants back in 2022.
For Steph, he has witnessed a rapid change in the league over the past 15 seasons that he has played in. Being part of an ownership group that could herald such change and make the league reach its ‘super prime’ sounded like a great idea for him to step in.
Steph Curry looks hopeful for the league’s future expansion projects, especially with bustling US metropolitan cities like Seattle and Las Vegas looking forward to their own NBA franchises. Adding on to the same, Steph said, “I just want to be a part of an ownership group that is as excited as I would be obviously to win. You know, be in a position where you are connected with the community and the fan base like we have here in the Bay Area.”
“And with all the things that I have learnt in this 15 years course of playing and all the things that I have to learn about how the whole operation continues, I could add some value there for sure!” he added. Curry surely as a lot of knowledge on how a team is run after working as the centerpiece of a very successful Dubs dynasty.
NEWS: The 5th of the first 6 @TGL team has sold.
It’s San Francisco, led by former @Bucks owner Marc Lasry and @NBA star @StephenCurry30.
It’s one of the first (maybe the first) investments for Lasry’s Avenue Sports Fund. LPs include Curry teammates @KlayThompson and @andre. pic.twitter.com/mQ6IbEtCZN
— Eben Novy-Williams (@novy_williams) October 19, 2023
Besides basketball, Stephen Curry is a huge golf enthusiast. Curry recently made headlines after winning the 2023 American Century Championship tournament with a 152-yard hole-in-one. Partnering with his championship-winning teammates Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala, a group led by the Splash Brothers and former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry also owns the San Francisco-based franchise in Tiger Woods’ TGL Golf League. The ownership group became the fifth team to buy stakes for a TGL team, marking Stephen Curry’s first venture into owning a team in professional sports.
LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, and Giannis Antetokounmpo are all open to the ideas of owning an NBA team
Owning an NBA team is one of the fastest ways to grow one’s business portfolio, especially with the NBA being one of the world’s biggest, richest, and fastest-growing leagues. LeBron James started his venture by investing in a minority stake in Liverpool F.C. and has always been vocal about his desire to own an NBA franchise. In fact, James had also openly expressed his wishes to own the Las Vegas expansion team, possibly if that comes about after he retires.
The lucrative opportunity of owning an NBA team couldn’t help make Shaq resist such an opportunity. In an interview with PEOPLE magazine, the Diesel also expressed his desire to own the Las Vegas expansion franchise or to be a part of the ownership group for the team. Perhaps James and O’Neal could find common ground in this regard and help expedite the process for Sin City to have its very own NBA team.
The Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo also has high ambitions of owning an NBA team after venturing into sports ownership recently. The Antetokounmpo brothers have invested in the MLB team Milwaukee Brewers and also have a stake in the Major League Soccer team Nashville SC.
