The rise of women’s basketball is getting Serena Williams’ attention.
The tennis legend and 23-time Grand Slam champion says she is willing to spend money on the sport.
In an interview with CNN published Monday ahead of the WNBA Draft, Williams said he is “absolutely” interested in investing in a WNBA team.
“I definitely think it will be,” Williams said. “If there was the right market, I would definitely be very interested in it.”
Williams earned approximately $95 million in prize money during her tennis career, and Forbes magazine estimates her net worth at $290 million. She and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, have used their wealth to invest in businesses such as Angel City FC of the National Women’s Soccer League and Los Angeles Golf Club, the TGL franchise developed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. , has invested in multiple sports ventures.
Williams did not discuss any specific interest in investing in the WNBA. The league announced it would expand to the Bay Area with the Golden State Warriors in 2023, with the team scheduled to debut in 2025. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert said before Monday’s draft that her goal is to expand the league from 12 to 16 teams by 2025. 2028. The Bay Area franchise will be the 13th in the league.
Williams and Ohanian have so far focused on investing in franchises in the Los Angeles area, and the WNBA already has a Los Angeles franchise in the Sparks. It wasn’t clear from Williams’ interview what the “right market” means, but she seems ready to jump at the opportunity.
“I think women’s sports are having a moment like they always should have,” Williams said. “I feel like that moment has come in tennis. It’s international, it’s huge, and it’s always going to be there.
“Now is the time to promote other sports, women’s soccer, women’s basketball. There are many other sports where women play great sports. Let’s put it on the platform of tennis. Women’s basketball is getting there,” she said. And it has arrived.”
Asked about the potential risks of investing in women’s basketball, Williams cited the recent NCAA Tournament, where more viewers tuned in to the women’s national championship between Iowa and South Carolina than the men’s final between University and Purdue. I listed what I did.
“There’s no risk,” Williams said. “Women’s sports are exciting and women are exciting to watch. … As far as investing, that’s too safe a bet.”
