21 Celebrities Who Own Sports Teams
21 Celebrities Who Own Sports Teams
Stephanie Sengwe, Emily KrauserSat, May 23, 2026 at 10:15 AM UTC
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Natalie Portman, Michael B. Jordan, Bill Murray
Credit: Getty(3)
Everyone wants to be a winner.
Whether they were professional athletes or shine bright on-screen, many celebrities have dipped their toes into professional sports ownership. Many are part-owners of sports teams both stateside and abroad, including Natalie Portman, Michael B. Jordan, Ryan Reynolds and Ed Sheeran.
Meanwhile, basketball pro Giannis Antetokounmpo is all in on Milwaukee, and baseball mega fan Bill Murray supports multiple minor league teams.
Still, why own a pro sports team? For many, it's all about the investment opportunity; for others, however, it's simply about fulfilling a dream as a fan.
"It's always been a dream of mine to be associated in some capacity with a professional sports franchise, (I just never) knew of a rational or legitimate avenue into it," Rob McElhenney, who co-owns Wrexham FC with Reynolds, told The Atlantic in August 2022.
The It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor added, "But one of the key factors to success would be to grow the exposure of the club, because the more revenue that comes in, the more you can invest in players. When I started thinking about it that way, and I thought, 'Well, that actually marries what I do for a living — tell stories — with this idea of being involved in a professional sports franchise.' "
Here are 21 celebrities who own sports teams.
01 of 21
Natalie Portman: Angel City FC
Natalie Portman runs off the field before a San Diego Wave FC and Angel City FC match at Titan Stadium in Fullerton, Calif., on March 19, 2022
Credit: Jenny Chuang/ISI Photos/Getty
With the U.S. National Women's Team unstoppable on the world stage, Portman saw a great opportunity to help launch a competitive women's soccer team stateside. In 2020, she helped cofound a new team in Los Angeles alongside women's soccer legend Julie Foudy, Reddit co-founder and Serena Williams' husbandAlexis Ohanian, and actresses Uzo Aduba, America Ferrera, Jennifer Garner, Eva Longoria and Lilly Singh.
"[We want to] expand those sports heroes — and those sports modeling behaviors — to have women in those positions, too," Portman told PEOPLE in July 2020 of her decision to spearhead the initiative. "To celebrate women at the same level as the way we celebrate male athletes is culture-shifting."
The franchise officially became known as Angel City Football Club and was formally welcomed into the National Women's Soccer League in 2022.
Many more noteworthy women have signed on since the club's founding, including Sophia Bush and Lindsey Vonn, and their A-list investors have found unique ways to bring attention to the club, like Garner handing out orange slices in the ultimate soccer mom move. The franchise was also the subject of the 2023 HBO docuseries Angel City.
02 of 21
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney: Wrexham AFC
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds
Credit: Kya Banasko/Getty
Reynolds and McElhenney bought Wrexham Association Football Club, the oldest professional Welsh soccer team, in 2021. To quell the curiosity of many fans asking why the two American actors would embark on such an undertaking, they chronicled the journey in the award-winning FX docuseries Welcome to Wrexham, which premiered in 2022.
At the time of Reynolds and McElhenney's purchase, Wrexham was at the bottom of the National League. By 2025, the Welsh team had been promoted to the English Football League Championship, the second tier in the English system behind the Premier League, in a historic third consecutive promotion.
"Our goal is to make it to the Premier League," Reynolds told ESPN in April of that year. "It just seemed like an impossible dream [when we bought the club], but as storytellers, you look as much as you can at the macro view of history."
The actors continue to be hands-on and have been spotted at overseas games, including in March 2026, when Reynolds and his wife, Blake Lively, were seen snuggling up at the Football Association Challenge Cup (FA Cup) match between Wrexham and Chelsea, though Wrexham ultimately lost.
03 of 21
LeBron James: Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins and RFK Racing
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts to a second-quarter play in a game against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena in L.A. on Nov. 18, 2025
Credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty
Though terms of the deal were kept under the radar, NBA superstar Lebron James and his business partner Maverick Carter are partners in the Fenway Sports Group (FSG).
The four-time NBA Champion bought a 2% stake in Liverpool FC back in 2011, but he relinquished those shares in 2022 in exchange for ownership in FSG, according to Liverpool.com. Through the group, James is also a part-owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins and NASCAR's RFK Racing team. They also acquired minority stake ownership in the Boston Red Sox in March 2021, per NBA.com.
His ultimate goal, however, is to own an NBA team.
"I got so much to give to the game, I know what it takes to win at this level, I know talent, and I also know how to run a business as well," James told reporters in March 2021, per Reuters. "So that is my goal. My goal is to own a NBA franchise, and you know it'll be sooner than later."
04 of 21
David Beckham: Inter Miami CF and Salford City FC
David Beckham attends the global premiere of 'The Gentlemen' at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London on March 5, 2024
Credit: Jeff Spicer/WireImage
Shortly after retiring in 2013, soccer legend David Beckham began talks to become part-owner of an MLS team set to launch in Miami. After a long process spanning several years, Inter Miami CF made its debut in 2020, with Beckham as a minority stakeholder.
That changed in 2021, however, when Beckham, along with brothers Jorge and Jose Mas, bought out former co-owners Marcelo Claure and Masayoshi Son and became the team's majority stakeholders, ESPN reported.
Beckham's soccer team ownership isn't only stateside. In 2019, the former Manchester United midfielder acquired a 10% stake in Salford City FC, a U.K.-based club.
05 of 21
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos: Campobasso 1919 and Ascoli FC
Mark Consuelos (left) and Kelly Ripa hold up jerseys after buying an Italian soccer team
Credit: Campobasso 1919
Husband-wife duoKelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos announced in November 2022 that they were investing in two Italian soccer teams, Campobasso 1919 and Ascoli FC, and would take on a co-ownership role with Campobasso to help it return to success in the Italian soccer league.
Consuelos told PEOPLE the team's "underdog" status is part of why the couple wanted to get involved.
"When I heard the story about these fans being at risk of losing the sport they love, Kelly and I wanted to get involved and be part of the solution," the former All My Children star said.
06 of 21
Tom Brady: Major League Pickleball Team, Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Aces and Birmingham City FC
Tom Brady attends the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on May 6, 2019
Credit: Gotham/GC
Tom Brady has plenty of accomplishments: He's a seven-time Super Bowl champion, businessman, father of three and, as of October 2022, part owner of a major league pickleball team.
The retired NFL quarterback signed on to be "part of an ownership group of an expansion team that will begin play in the 2023 MLP season," Front Office Sports reported. (Also on that list of owners is six-time Grand Slam tennis champ, Kim Clijsters.)
"Look, I've been trying to find a way to extend my professional sports career, in my 40s, even into my 50s, 60s, 70s! As long as I can, right? And I think I got the answer," Brady joked in a since-deleted Instagram video making the announcement. "Seems like everyone else has the answer too: pickleball!"
In addition to the pickleball team, he has been a minority owner of the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces since 2023 and the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders since 2024. (Mark Davis owns both teams.) Brady also became a part-owner of the overseas soccer team Birmingham City FC in 2023.
07 of 21
Michael B. Jordan: AFC Bournemouth
Michael B. Jordan attends SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations Presents 'Sinners' at the Meryl Streep Center for Performing Arts in L.A. on Dec. 14, 2025
Credit: Araya Doheny/Getty
He may know his way around the boxing arena, but in real life, the Creedstar is a minority investor of the English soccer team AFC Bournemouth. Though percentages and dollar amounts were not disclosed, the Premier League announced in 2022 that American businessman Bill Foley led the acquisition as the majority leader, while Jordan led the minority group, per ESPN.
In 2024, the outlet reported that Jordan launched two special-edition kit collaborations with the team, featuring an exclusive MBJ x AFCB tag, per AFC Bournemouth. When he won Best Actor at the 2026 Academy Awards for the 2025 horror-action film Sinners, the New Jersey native also became the first Premier League owner to win an Oscar.
08 of 21
Alex Rodriguez: Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx
Alex Rodriguez attends the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves game at the Staples Center in L.A. on Jan. 2, 2022
Credit: Jim Poorten/NBAE/Getty
In 2021, Alex Rodriguez joined the NBA as a minority owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves and its WNBA counterpart, the Minnesota Lynx.
The deal was first reached in the spring of 2021, with Rodriguez and entrepreneur Marc Lore agreeing to buy out former owner Glen Taylor for a whopping $1.5 billion. According to NBA.com, Rodriguez and Lore began the process with an initial 20% stake transfer in 2021. In June 2025, the two became full owners of the teams, per the outlet.
09 of 21
Marc Anthony: Miami Dolphins
Marc Anthony attends the opening night premiere of 'In the Heights' during the Tribeca Film Festival in N.Y.C. on June 9, 2021
Credit: Noam Galai/Getty
Marc Anthony has been in the ownership business for over a decade, as the "Vivir Mi Vida" singer acquired a minority stake in the Miami Dolphins back in June 2009.
"I'm a huge sports fan," he told PEOPLE at the time. "These opportunities don't come around too often. It's quite an honor and a privilege to be able to sit here today saying that I'm a part-owner of an NFL team."
Other celebrity minority owners include singer Fergie and Gloria Estefan and husband Emilio Estefan, as well as the Williams sisters.
10 of 21
Michael Jordan: Charlotte Hornets and 23XI Racing
Michael Jordan appears a press conference ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks vs. Charlotte Hornets game in Paris on Jan. 24, 2020
Credit: FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty
Michael Jordan's dedication to basketball is world-renowned, so it's no surprise that the NBA legend owns a team of his own. The six-time NBA champion purchased the Charlotte Hornets (then Bobcats) for a cool $275 million back in 2010, making him the only Black majority owner at the time. (The first ever was Robert Johnson, the previous owner of the Bobcats.)
In 2023, he sold his majority stake to a group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rich Schnall and transitioned to a minority ownership role. After the sale, Forbesannounced that Jordan's net worth had climbed to $3 billion, ranking him among the 400 wealthiest people in America and making him the first athlete to appear on the publication's list.
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In addition to the NBA team, Jordan formed a NASCAR team, 23XI Racing, in September 2020, which he co-owns with NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin.
11 of 21
Usher: Cleveland Cavaliers
Usher attends the 'Vanity Fair' Oscar party at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Feb. 9, 2020
Credit: Ian West/PA Images via Getty
When the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Championship in 2016, many people were curious why Usher was so thrilled, as he was famously born in Dallas and eventually relocated to Atlanta after spending time in Chattanooga, Tenn. It turns out the Grammy Award-winning singer is a minority owner of the pro basketball team.
According to Forbes, Usher doled out a cool $9 million for the Cavs in 2005, around the same time that famed owner Dan Gilbert acquired the franchise.
12 of 21
Nelly: Charlotte Hornets
Nelly poses with the 75th anniversary NBA ball before game three of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Boston on June 8, 2022
Credit: David Dow/NBAE via Getty
Another music artist who got into sports team ownership early was Nelly (born Cornell Haynes Jr.). The "Hot in Herre" rapper signed on to be a minority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) in 2004.
Financial terms of the deal were never disclosed, nor was the stake percentage.
"Of the many dreams that I have fulfilled in life, being an NBA owner is certainly one of the biggest achievements," Nelly said at the time in a release from the team, ESPN reported. "To be able to make this move with Bob Johnson and to be a part of the first-ever minority owned professional sports franchise in history is a great opportunity."
13 of 21
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith: Philadelphia 76ers
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith attend the 94th Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre in L.A. on March 27, 2022
Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
In 2011, actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith made a bid to be minority owners of Will's hometown NBA team, the Philadelphia 76ers, per Bleacher Report.
"There is nothing like — in all of entertainment — than to walk into the building when it's announced that you're a part owner of your hometown basketball team," Will said during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live in December 2016. "If the team doesn't win, it sucks later. But initially it's like 'Yeahhh, Will!' "
14 of 21
Justin Timberlake: Memphis Grizzlies
Justin Timberlake performs onstage during the Pepsi Superbowl LII Halftime Show at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Feb. 4, 2018
Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty
The Memphis-born singer became a minority stakeholder in the Memphis Grizzlies in 2012. At the time, Robert Pera, a tech entrepreneur, was in talks to buy the team from long-term owner Michael Heisley, and Justin Timberlake decided to join Pera's team of minority partners, ESPN reported.
According to the Memphis Flyer, the "Selfish" singer invested $5 million through his investment group, Tennman Sports, LLC, which gave him a 2.84% stake in the team.
15 of 21
Bill Murray: Hudson Valley Renegades, Charleston RiverDogs and Brockton Rox
Bill Murray attends the American Film Institute's 46th Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute to George Clooney at Dolby Theatre in L.A. on June 7, 2018
Credit: Rich Fury/Getty Images
Oscar-nominated actor Murray loves baseball so much that he's owned multiple minor league teams over the years. He's long been involved with the Charleston RiverDogs, for whom he enthusiastically serves as the "director of fun," according to Bleacher Report, and has been a co-owner of the Joliet Slammers since 2024.
The Ghostbusters star's investments are mainly through the Goldklang Group, which also owns the Pittsfield Suns. The group previously owned the Fort Myers Miracle (now Mighty Mussels), the Hudson Valley Renegades and the St. Paul Saints. Murray was also a co-founder of the Brockton Rox in 2002.
16 of 21
Magic Johnson: Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Sparks
Magic Johnson attends the premiere of 'They Call Me Magic' at the Regency Village Theatre in L.A. on April 14, 2022
Credit: JC Olivera/WireImage
He may have stopped playing basketball in 1996, but Magic Johnson's noteworthy sports career didn't end on the court.
In 2012, the MLB and former L.A. Dodgers owner Frank McCourt were at odds about how the latter was handling the team, and the Dodgers went up for sale. Led by the former Lakers star, the Guggenheim Baseball Management bought the team for a then-record $2 billion, ESPN reported.
Two years later, when the WNBA's L.A. Sparks were in trouble, Johnson again led a group of investors to claim stakes in the team, allowing them not only to stay in the league but also to remain in L.A., per ESPN.
17 of 21
Michelle Williams: Chicago Sky
Michelle Williams attends the Tyler Perry Studios grand opening gala in Atlanta on Oct. 5, 2019
Credit: Prince Williams/Wireimage
When the WNBA launched its 14th team, the Chicago Sky, in 2006, it also announced that singer Michelle Williams was a minority owner of the franchise, according to OurSports Central.
The move made sense for the former Destiny's Child member, who is a native of Rockford, Ill.
"I'm thrilled to have a stake in the WNBA as it expands into my hometown with the Chicago Sky," Williams said at the time. "It's great to be part of an organization such as the WNBA that is not only exciting and fun, but fosters a strong sense of empowerment in girls and women. I'm looking forward to being in the front row at Chicago Sky games and cheering them on to many championship seasons."
18 of 21
Giannis Antetokounmpo: Milwaukee Brewers
Giannis Antetokounmpo stands on the field prior to a Milwaukee Bucks vs. New York Mets game at American Family Field in Milwaukee on Sept. 27, 2024
Credit: Stacy Revere/Getty
Fresh off taking the Milwaukee Bucks to NBA Championship glory, Antetokounmpo bought an undisclosed stake in the MLB team Milwaukee Brewers in 2021.
"This is a dream come true for a kid from Sepolia, Athens, Greece, born from immigrant parents," the power forward said at a press conference, per MLB.com. "I could have never imagined I would be in this position."
There's no better place to invest than the state that's given him so much.
"I just love Milwaukee," Antetokounmpo said. "They found a diamond in the rough, in the dust. They believed in me, they trusted me, they embraced me. The city has loved me and my family and I want to give that love back now."
19 of 21
Serena Williams: Miami Dolphins and Toronto Tempo; Venus Williams: Miami Dolphins
Serena Williams and Venus Williams hold up Miami Dolphins jerseys with their names on them in Miami on Aug. 25, 2009
Credit: Charles Trainor Jr./Getty
In 2009, the Williams sisters bought a stake in the Miami Dolphins.
As limited ownership partners, they became the first Black American women to own a stake in an NFL franchise.
"Having spent so much of my childhood in the area, being involved with a staple of Miami culture is a huge honor," Serena said at the time. "We look forward to many championships and much success together with the Miami Dolphins."
Serena's ownership dreams didn't stop there. She is a co-owner of Angel City FC and the Los Angeles Golf Club, as are her husband and their daughter Olympia (the youngest two-team pro sports team owner!).
The retired tennis pro is also part of the ownership group of the Toronto Tempo, a WNBA expansion team that kicked off its first season in 2026.
"I am thrilled to announce my ownership role in the first Canadian WNBA team, the Toronto Tempo," she said in a statement, per CNN. "This moment is not just about basketball; it is about showcasing the true value and potential of female athletes — I have always said that women's sports are an incredible investment opportunity."
20 of 21
Lewis Hamilton: Denver Broncos
Lewis Hamilton wears a Denver Broncos jacket while attending the game between the Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on Dec. 10, 2023
Credit: Denver Broncos
Lewis Hamilton became a co-owner of the NFL's Denver Broncos in 2022 through the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group.
The F1 driver attended his first home game in December 2025, after previously seeing them play in L.A. against the Chargers in 2023 (pictured above).
Though the Broncos lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Hamilton shared an inspiring message on Instagram Stories after the game.
"Tough day today but I'm so proud of this team," he wrote, per USA Today's Broncos Wire. "Even on a hard day like today I'm inspired by how you all support one another and continue to show up. Remember it's not how we fall, it's how we get back up! Onto the next one👊🏾."
21 of 21
Ed Sheeran: Ipswich Town FC
Ed Sheeran looks on ahead of a Premier League match between Ipswich Town FC and Liverpool FC at Portman Road in Ipswich, England, on Aug. 17, 2024
Credit: Julian Finney/Getty
The diehard Ipswich Town Football Club fan bought a small stake in the franchise in 2024, just before they returned to the Premier League.
According to ESPN, Sheeran has a 1.4% stake and will be a "passive investor."
The value of the deal was not disclosed at the time, but the English singer-songwriter will have pretty sweet access to an executive box at the team's stadium.
"I am really excited to have bought a small percentage of my hometown football club," Sheeran said in a statement. "It's any football fan's dream to be an owner of the club they support, and I feel so grateful for this opportunity."
One year before becoming a minority owner, Sheeran served concessions at a game against Hull City AFC in October 2023, which Ipswich won 3-0. After the match, he visited the players in the locker room, who then serenaded him with his 2017 hit song "Perfect."
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