Dwayne Wade and the Utah Jazz
Former NBA star Dwayne Wade is leaping from player to owner, as the three-time NBA champ has bought an ownership stake in the Utah Jazz.
Wade joins a number of former players with ownership stakes in professional teams, including Grant Hill, Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. It was recently announced that Alex Rodriguez is working to on a deal to buy the Minnesota Timberwolves, while Derek Jeter is a minority owner of the Miami Marlins. Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka have stakes in National Women’s Soccer League teams.
Wade told ESPN that, “This goes way beyond the dream I had to just to play basketball in the NBA.” Congratulations D-Wade!
Marshawn Lynch Loves The Town
Sticking with our athlete turned owner theme on this April Friday, former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch has joined the Oakland Roots of the USL Championship ownership group.
Lynch grew up in Oakland, attended the University of California at Berkeley and has always been a strong advocate for the city. He also has the distinction of being a former member of the Seattle Seahawks that I actually like (you too, Richard Sherman!). But this isn’t about me.
The Roots, whose season begins May 8, were founded in 2018, playing their first two seasons in the National Independent Soccer Association. They announced the joining theUSL Championship this past fall.
Michael Jordan to Introduce Kobe Bryant
When the 2020 honorees are inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Michael Jordan will introduce the late Kobe Bryant. When speaking at Bryant’s memorial service in February 2020, it was clear that the two basketball greats were very close. Jordan will also introduce Baylor women’s coach Kim Mulkey.
The induction will take place on May 15. Tim Duncan will be introduced by David Robinson and Kevin Garnett by Isiah Thomas (will this be the first post “The Last Dance” reunion for MJ and Thomas??). Rudy Tomjanovich will also be inducted and will be introduced by Hakeem Olajuwon and Calvin Murphy. It should be a very special event.
WNBA Draft
It’s officially draft season. The NFL Draft is under two weeks away, while the WNBA Draft took place on Thursday.
The Dallas Wings tipped things off (see what I did there), selecting Texas center Charli Collier and Finnish center Awak Kuier, at #1 and #2, respectively.
After that, it was Arizona’s Aari McDonald to the Atlanta Dream, West Virginia’s Kysre Gondrezick to the Indiana Fever and the Wings got another pick in, selecting Arkansas’ Chelsea Dungee, to round out the top 5 picks.
Maybe the most fun moment came when UCLA’s Michaela Onyenwere’s was picked sixth by the New York Liberty. Onyenwere’s grandmother got up and danced in a way that was a whole mood and one we should all take into the weekend.
NBA Injury News
The stars of Tinseltown have been without two of their brightest stars.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis have both been out for the Los Angeles Lakers, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, as Davis has been cleared for practice and should be back on the court very soon. Davis has been out the last two months with a calf strain and tendinosis in his right leg.
Meanwhile, during Friday’s win over the Indiana Pacers, the Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell left the game with an injury to his right ankle. ESPN is reporting that x-rays were negative, and that the team is hopeful that the injury is relatively minor.