CHARLOTTE — Jayson Tatum is exploring serving to to convey a WNBA workforce to St. Louis, because the fast-growing league continues to look into including franchises. In response to a report by Sportico’s Jacob Feldman, Tatum has informally agreed to spend money on an possession bid that might convey a franchise to his hometown.
“Tatum has informally agreed to spend money on the workforce 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 response to 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 workforce in St. Louis.
“I can’t converse on it an excessive amount of proper now, however there might be a time once I can, and I’ll be capable to elaborate,” Tatum mentioned.
The potential St. Louis possession group is co-led by billionaires Richard Chaifetz and David Hoffman, in response to Sportico. Chaifetz has invested in a variety of skilled sports activities groups, whereas Hoffman is an actual property developer who additionally owns the St. Louis Blues minor league affiliate.
Why may Jayson Tatum be concerned?
From a enterprise perspective, it’s no shock that Jayson Tatum has explored co-owning a WNBA workforce — he’s been concerned in a wide range of ventures, together with launching a signature shoe with Jordan Model, co-authoring an image e-book, changing into the face of Coach, and partnering with Gatorade, Ruffles, and Subway, amongst a slew of different corporations. It’s appeared that each time there’s a enterprise alternative, Tatum and his workforce have helped explored it, and with the burgeoning progress of the WNBA over the previous few years, the truth that Tatum has appeared into partial WNBA possession appears to line up together with his observe report of various investments.
Tatum has additionally maintained an in depth relationship together with his hometown all through his skilled basketball profession with the Celtics. His basis, the Jayson Tatum Basis, has partnered with native organizations in St. Louis since 2017, together with launching a hurricane reduction 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 few of the prime highschool and school basketball gamers within the nation. In August, he threw out a primary pitch earlier than a St. Louis Cardinals recreation.
Jeff Curry-Imagn Photographs
Proudly owning a stake in a WNBA franchise is now a official risk for NBA gamers. Gamers are allowed to come clean with 4% of a WNBA franchise, in response to the newest collective bargaining settlement. Tatum, who signed the largest contract in NBA historical past in July, is now within the combine for such an funding.
The place else might the WNBA increase?
Final season, the WNBA included 12 twelve lively groups, with three extra within the works. The Golden State Valkyries are set to hitch 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 extra workforce to spherical issues out at 16 by 2026.
A variety of different cities have explored founding a WNBA workforce 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 workforce, although the Connecticut Solar’s possession has made clear they might not assist such a bid.
In a press convention earlier than the WNBA Finals, commissioner Cathy Engelbert mentioned there have been about 10 groups who have been excited by changing into franchise No. 16.
“The excellent news is we’ve lots 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 individuals are watching the WNBA and seeing what we’re rising right here … they see the financial affect of getting a WNBA workforce of their metropolis, the function mannequin in the neighborhood these gamers symbolize,” Engelbert mentioned.
May St. Louis actually be subsequent?
Missouri’s capitol metropolis at present doesn’t have an NBA workforce — although St. Louis does have an NHL workforce, the Blues, and an MLB workforce, the Cardinals. The town hasn’t had an NBA workforce since 1968, however now, with Tatum’s involvement, they might be one step nearer to housing an expert basketball workforce in a area that’s lengthy had a shortage of WNBA illustration.
Jayson Tatum can’t touch upon St. Louis WNBA enlargement bid, however anticipate extra data quickly
CHARLOTTE — Jayson Tatum is exploring serving to to convey a WNBA workforce to St. Louis, because the fast-growing league continues to look into including franchises. In response to a report by Sportico’s Jacob Feldman, Tatum has informally agreed to spend money on an possession bid that might convey a franchise to his hometown.
“Tatum has informally agreed to spend money on the workforce 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 response to 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 workforce in St. Louis.
“I can’t converse on it an excessive amount of proper now, however there might be a time once I can, and I’ll be capable to elaborate,” Tatum mentioned.
The potential St. Louis possession group is co-led by billionaires Richard Chaifetz and David Hoffman, in response to Sportico. Chaifetz has invested in a variety of skilled sports activities groups, whereas Hoffman is an actual property developer who additionally owns the St. Louis Blues minor league affiliate.
Why may Jayson Tatum be concerned?
From a enterprise perspective, it’s no shock that Jayson Tatum has explored co-owning a WNBA workforce — he’s been concerned in a wide range of ventures, together with launching a signature shoe with Jordan Model, co-authoring an image e-book, changing into the face of Coach, and partnering with Gatorade, Ruffles, and Subway, amongst a slew of different corporations. It’s appeared that each time there’s a enterprise alternative, Tatum and his workforce have helped explored it, and with the burgeoning progress of the WNBA over the previous few years, the truth that Tatum has appeared into partial WNBA possession appears to line up together with his observe report of various investments.
Tatum has additionally maintained an in depth relationship together with his hometown all through his skilled basketball profession with the Celtics. His basis, the Jayson Tatum Basis, has partnered with native organizations in St. Louis since 2017, together with launching a hurricane reduction 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 few of the prime highschool and school basketball gamers within the nation. In August, he threw out a primary pitch earlier than a St. Louis Cardinals recreation.
Jeff Curry-Imagn Photographs
Proudly owning a stake in a WNBA franchise is now a official risk for NBA gamers. Gamers are allowed to come clean with 4% of a WNBA franchise, in response to the newest collective bargaining settlement. Tatum, who signed the largest contract in NBA historical past in July, is now within the combine for such an funding.
The place else might the WNBA increase?
Final season, the WNBA included 12 twelve lively groups, with three extra within the works. The Golden State Valkyries are set to hitch 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 extra workforce to spherical issues out at 16 by 2026.
A variety of different cities have explored founding a WNBA workforce 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 workforce, although the Connecticut Solar’s possession has made clear they might not assist such a bid.
In a press convention earlier than the WNBA Finals, commissioner Cathy Engelbert mentioned there have been about 10 groups who have been excited by changing into franchise No. 16.
“The excellent news is we’ve lots 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 individuals are watching the WNBA and seeing what we’re rising right here … they see the financial affect of getting a WNBA workforce of their metropolis, the function mannequin in the neighborhood these gamers symbolize,” Engelbert mentioned.
May St. Louis actually be subsequent?
Missouri’s capitol metropolis at present doesn’t have an NBA workforce — although St. Louis does have an NHL workforce, the Blues, and an MLB workforce, the Cardinals. The town hasn’t had an NBA workforce since 1968, however now, with Tatum’s involvement, they might be one step nearer to housing an expert basketball workforce in a area that’s lengthy had a shortage of WNBA illustration.