CHARLOTTE — Jayson Tatum is exploring serving to to convey a WNBA staff to St. Louis, because the fast-growing league continues to look into including franchises. In line with a report by Sportico’s Jacob Feldman, Tatum has informally agreed to spend money on an possession bid that may convey a franchise to his hometown.
“Tatum has informally agreed to spend money on the staff ought to it come to fruition and contribute behind the scenes to the group’s pitch, each to different potential big-name traders and the league itself, in keeping with sources concerned with the bid,” Feldman’s report states.
At Celtics shootaround on Friday morning, Tatum declined to share extra details about his curiosity in seeing a WNBA staff in St. Louis.
“I can’t communicate on it an excessive amount of proper now, however there will probably be a time once I can, and I’ll be capable of elaborate,” Tatum stated.
The possible St. Louis possession group is co-led by billionaires Richard Chaifetz and David Hoffman, in keeping with Sportico. Chaifetz has invested in numerous skilled sports activities groups, whereas Hoffman is an actual property developer who additionally owns the St. Louis Blues minor league affiliate.
Why would possibly Jayson Tatum be concerned?
From a enterprise perspective, it’s no shock that Jayson Tatum has explored co-owning a WNBA staff — he’s been concerned in a wide range of ventures, together with launching a signature shoe with Jordan Model, co-authoring a picture book, turning into the face of Coach, and partnering with Gatorade, Ruffles, and Subway, amongst a slew of different firms. It’s appeared that every time there’s a enterprise alternative, Tatum and his staff have helped explored it, and with the burgeoning development of the WNBA over the previous few years, the truth that Tatum has appeared into partial WNBA possession appears to line up along with his monitor file of various investments.
Tatum has additionally maintained a detailed relationship along with his hometown all through his skilled basketball profession with the Celtics. His basis, the Jayson Tatum Foundation, has partnered with native organizations in St. Louis since 2017, together with launching a hurricane aid effort in 2017, a number of backpack drives, and quite a few different charity occasions. He additionally hosts a summer time JT Elite Camp in St. Louis for a number of the high highschool and faculty basketball gamers within the nation. In August, he threw out a primary pitch earlier than a St. Louis Cardinals sport.
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Proudly owning a stake in a WNBA franchise is now a reliable risk for NBA gamers. Gamers are allowed to come clean with 4% of a WNBA franchise, in keeping with the newest collective bargaining agreement. Tatum, who signed the largest contract in NBA history in July, is now within the combine for such an funding.
The place else may the WNBA broaden?
Final season, the WNBA included 12 twelve energetic groups, with three extra within the works. The Golden State Valkyries are set to affix subsequent season, whereas Toronto and Portland will each formally enter the WNBA in 2025. That brings the full quantity as much as 15 — and it’s believed the league will need one additional team to spherical issues out at 16 by 2026.
Numerous different cities have explored founding a WNBA staff of their metropolis, together with Philadelphia, Miami, Milwaukee, Charlotte, and Denver, amongst others. Boston has additionally been floated as one other potential location for a staff, although the Connecticut Sun’s ownership has made clear they’d not assist such a bid.
In a press convention earlier than the WNBA Finals, commissioner Cathy Engelbert stated there have been about 10 groups who have been interested by turning into franchise No. 16.
“The excellent news is we’ve got a variety of demand from many cities. I’d say 10 or so, perhaps even plus at this level, as a result of I believe the extra persons are watching the WNBA and seeing what we’re rising right here … they see the financial affect of getting a WNBA staff of their metropolis, the function mannequin in the neighborhood these gamers characterize,” Engelbert stated.
Might St. Louis actually be subsequent?
Missouri’s capitol metropolis presently doesn’t have an NBA staff — although St. Louis does have an NHL staff, the Blues, and an MLB staff, the Cardinals. The town hasn’t had an NBA staff since 1968, however now, with Tatum’s involvement, they may very well be one step nearer to housing knowledgeable basketball staff in a area that’s lengthy had a shortage of WNBA illustration.
