13x NBA all-star Dwayne Wade (who retired from the league in 2019) has purchased an ownership stake in the Utah Jazz.
Wade – an 8x all-NBA selection, 3x champion, 1x Finals MVP, and 1x league scoring champ – is undoubtedly one of the of the most accomplished players in recent league history.
Now, Wade will have a chance to translate his success on the court to the boardroom, building upon a Utah Jazz team that currently sits in first place in the Western Conference.
“This goes way beyond the dream I had to just play basketball in the NBA,” Wade said, via ESPN.
“I’ve seen Shaq do it in Sacramento. I’ve seen Grant Hill do it in Atlanta. I’ve seen Jordan do it in Charlotte. If this partnership is going to be anything like my relationship is with [Jazz majority owner] Ryan [Smith], there are going to be a lot of things that I’ll want to be involved in.”
Businessman Ryan Smith purchased a majority stake of the Utah Jazz in 2020, and has sought to bring Wade aboard as a partner.
“Dwyane has had a chance to be part of so many different [ownership] groups if he wanted that,” Smith told ESPN.
“We’ve basically been in discussion from the time we closed on the team on how we can get this done. Like I run my tech business, you want the brightest people around.”
There’s no doubt that Wade will have enormous influence on the Jazz organization from top to bottom.