Magic Johnson, Dwyane Wade, Tom Brady among ex-pro athletes to become WNBA owners

Magic Johnson's love of basketball motivated him to save the Los Angeles Sparks from folding and put him on the leading edge of what is now a growing WNBA trend.

Ten years after becoming the majority owner the team's value has increased and other former professional athletes are buying into the league. The WNBA is positioning itself to be a good long-term investment with a looming TV deal and increased attention around a rookie class headlined by Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

"It wasn't before," Johnson said about the WNBA being a good investment in a phone interview with The Associated Press. "It was, we love the game. We love women's basketball, we love the fact that we had a chance to buy the Sparks when it was the No. 1 brand. The brand everyone knows, but now it's a great investment. It's only going to get better."

Others have taken notice the last few years.

Dwyane Wade is a partial owner of the Chicago Sky, buying in last year. Tom Brady did the same with the Las Vegas Aces. Alex Rodriguez is a limited partner with the Minnesota Lynx.

Former WNBA players Sue Bird and Renee Montgomery have joined the ownership groups of the Seattle Storm and Atlanta Dream, respectively.

"They know the game is exploding, they know this is the right time," Johnson said.

Sportico valued four teams at over $100 million US. Ownership groups of the expansion teams in Golden State and Toronto that will begin play in 2025 and 2026 anted up over $100 million that included record-breaking expansion fees, investment in the player experience, best-in-class facilities, and start-up business operations costs.

The Dream were the last expansion team and that ownership group paid a $10 million entry fee in 2008, which didn't include the