Dwyane Wade to Join WNBA’s Chicago Sky Ownership Group

The 13-time All-Star and three-time NBA champion will be part of a Sky ownership team that also includes Michael Alter, Laura Ricketts, and more.

2023 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Dwyane Wade will join the Chicago Sky ownership group, ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reports.

Wade — a Chicago native and longtime fan of the Sky — is set to become among the highest-profile WNBA owners, but the move itself isn’t exactly unexpected. The Chicago Sun-Times reported last month that Wade had an interest and even visited a Sky practice. This came after principal owner Michael Alter sold a 10% stake in the team to a group led by Chicago Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts.

The move is still subject to league approval and Wade’s exact stake in the team has not been disclosed.

Though NBA players far and wide are generally supportive of the WNBA, which is in its 27th season and at a high point in popularity, Wade felt it important to put action behind his words.

“We all talk about support, and support looks different for everyone,” Wade told ESPN. “And so instead of tweeting out and saying ‘go support the W,’ instead of showing up at the game and supporting, I wanted to take it to that next level, and this was the next level for me.”

The Sky will be the third pro sports team that Wade has invested in. He is already a part owner of the Utah Jazz and Real Salt Lake. Wade also joins Tom Brady, Alex Rodriguez, and Magic Johnson as former pro athletes to invest in WNBA teams.

As for the Sky, the team itself is in a state of transition. Two years removed from a shocking run to the WNBA championship, Chicago has since lost much of the core of its team, including Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot, Diamond Deshields, and Stefanie Dolson. The Sky are just 8-12 so far in 2023, led by Kahleah Copper and Marina Mabrey.

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