Dwyane Wade is the latest NBA player to make his post-playing intentions known: he wants to be an NBA owner. More specifically, though, he wants to help the NBA expand back into Seattle.
Finding a place in the owner’s suite has been a common thread for a number of NBA players in recent years. Wade’s close friend LeBron James has already stated that he’d like to own an NBA team someday, following in Michael Jordan’s footsteps. Kevin Durant has also said he’d like to be an owner.
The same, apparently, can be said for Wade, currently under contract with the Miami Heat. But Wade makes it clear that he doesn’t want to be a sole owner of a franchise, but simply part of an ownership group.
Wade spoke with Bloomberg about his career and various business interests in an interview that was published on Thursday. Asked about his next step off the court, Wade said he is interested in owning an NBA team someday.
“I definitely want to be a part of ownership in the NBA. 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.”
Asked which team he wants to be a part of, however, Wade quickly said Seattle.
“Seattle. 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.”
Wade joins former Sonic Ray Allen as former NBA players that want to see the franchise revived in Seattle. And it seems like it’s only a matter of time before the NBA expands again. Adam Silver has said there are no concrete plans in place just yet, but the movement is there for an NBA-ready arena in the city thanks to a group trying to bring a National Hockey League franchise to the city.
Wade says he doesn’t have the “bread” to own an entire franchise himself, but he wants in when Seattle comes calling. That might not be for a few more years, but Wade might still be busy playing until that time, anyway. He hasn’t given any indication of his playing future just yet, but he did warn he’d have to retire before anything happens with him as an owner. That retirement, however, hasn’t happened just yet.
