Share
Sports

Dwyane Wade wants to bring team back and become NBA owner

Share

Dwyane Wade is 36 years old, an unrestricted free agent and undecided about his immediate NBA future.

But he already has a vision for his post-NBA career, whether that begins this summer or down the line.

Wade spoke with Joel Weber of Bloomberg about a variety of topics, but one of the most interesting was the 12-time All-Star revealing that he wants to be part of an NBA ownership team in the future.

“I definitely want to be a part of ownership in the NBA,” Wade said. “I’m not going to try to buy a team. I don’t have that kind of bread, but I definitely want to be a part of a great ownership group. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is all about players being involved in an ownership capacity. You’ve got players like Grant Hill involved in the Atlanta Hawks. Shaquille O’Neal is involved in the Sacramento Kings. It’s definitely something that I’ve talked about, some of my friends have talked about. But, first of all, I’d have to be retired.”

Hill is part of the ownership group that purchased the Hawks in 2015 and he currently serves as vice chair of the board. O’Neal is a minority owner of the Kings and Forbes estimates that he owns between two and four percent of the franchise.

Trending:
Fani Willis Throws a Tantrum to Jim Jordan as Contempt Deadline Arrives

Neither of those players ever suited up for the teams they ended up owning, and it seems as Wade plans on following in their footsteps.

While it would seem a natural fit for Wade to become part of Miami’s ownership group, he has a different plan in mind.

“Seattle,” Wade answered when asked which team he wants to own. “I want Seattle’s team, the Sonics, to come back. I think Seattle is a great basketball town. I would love to be a part of that. But I’m open — if you know somebody.”

Seattle lost the Supersonics to Oklahoma City, where they were rebranded the Thunder in 2008. Wade has spent his entire life either in Miami or the Midwest, but he clearly enjoyed the handful of trips he made to The Emerald City early in his career.

Will Seattle be the next city to get an NBA franchise?

The NBA either relocating a team to Seattle or expanding and adding a team in Seattle doesn’t appear to be on the horizon anytime soon.

But  Silver has said that even though it’s not a priority, Seattle would be on the short list of cities the league looks at when expanding.

“I don’t want to put a precise timeline on it,” Silver said. “But it’s inevitable at some point we’ll start looking at growth of franchises. That’s always been the case in this league, and Seattle will no doubt be on a short list of cities we’ll look at.”

Wade will have some competition when it comes to bringing a team to Seattle as one of the city’s favorite athletes has already partnered with a group to bring back the Sonics.

Related:
Video: Incredible NBA 'Dunk of the Year' Leaves Opponent Injured

Russell Wilson joined the Sonics Arena Group in 2016 which aims to bring NBA and NHL teams to the city.

As for Wade’s immediate plans, he hasn’t made a decision on if he’ll return for a 16th NBA season. But he did say if he does return next season, the Heat will be the only team he plays for.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
,
Share
Ross Kelly has been a sportswriter since 2009.
Ross Kelly has been a sportswriter since 2009 and previously worked for ESPN, CBS and STATS Inc. A native of Louisiana, Ross now resides in Houston.
Location
Houston, Texas
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Sports




Conversation