In the WNBA, Dwyane Wade has invested in the Chicago Sky
In the WNBA, Dwyane Wade has invested in the Chicago Sky.
Dwyane Wade is the newest minority owner of the Chicago Sky and has just acquired minority holdings in the Utah Jazz and Real Salt Lake.
According to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, the former NBA great and class of 2023 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame purchased a share in the WNBA franchise on Friday.
Including Chicago Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts, the Sky just sold a roughly 10% ownership in the team to a consortium.
In an interview with ESPN, Wade said, “We all talk about support, and support looks different to everyone.” I wanted to take my support for the team to the next level, and this was that step up from tweeting out “Go support the W” or turning up at the game.
The WNBA board of governors must still approve Wade’s membership. The precise amount of his investment was not shared. In addition to his ownership of the Heat, Wade also has a piece of the NBA’s Utah Jazz and the MLS’s Real Salt Lake. Both purchases were made in 2021.
The 41-year-old stated that his mother is a Sky fan and that he was born and raised in Chicago as reasons for joining the Sky’s ownership group. He added that he believes his presence in the WNBA will increase the league’s visibility and encourage players to keep laying the groundwork for women’s basketball.
According to Wade, “no one is bigger than the players.” Right now, nobody tops A’ja Wilson in terms of popularity. Aliyah Boston stands alone as the greatest. Nobody aspires to be a more powerful proprietor than they are.
You don’t want that to happen. So, not only do we hope to increase the league’s profile, but we also plan to contribute whatever resources we can. Our goal is to share the knowledge we’ve gained from years of experience in these leagues with the front offices, the management teams, and anybody else who would listen.
The WNBA now counts a number of prominent male athletes among its ownership ranks. In March, former NFL quarterback Tom Brady purchased a stake in the Las Vegas Aces, and in 2021, former MLB great Alex Rodriguez’s ownership group acquired the Minnesota Lynx in a deal that also included the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association. Magic Johnson, a future Hall of Famer in the NBA, purchased the Los Angeles Sparks in 2014.
Wade spent 15 of his 17 seasons in the NBA with the Miami Heat. He won three NBA championships, led the league in scoring in 2008–09, and was named to 13 All-Star teams and eight All-NBA squads. Every game, he contributed an average of 22 points, 5.6 assists, 4.7 boards, and 1.5 steals.
Meanwhile, at 8-12 overall, the Sky are seventh in the WNBA’s Eastern Conference. Sky head coach and general manager James Wade resigned on July 1 to become an assistant coach with the NBA’s Toronto Raptors. Wade is Wade’s cousin.
