When you're a famous celebrity with millions of dollars, there's no limit on all of the things you could possibly buy. Many celebrities — both athletes themselves and regular celebs — love sports so much that they either purchase a team of their own or even a percentage of their favorite team.
From football to basketball and even soccer, there are a number of professional sports teams out there that are owned by celebrities. You might not realize it, but if you do a little bit of digging you can find out who has a stake in your favorite team too!
10 Mark Cuban - Dallas Mavericks
Mark Cuban is one of the wealthiest people in the world and had been a season ticket holder and a huge fan of the Dallas Mavericks for a long time. In 2000, the opportunity arose for Mark Cuban to buy the basketball team.
He purchased the team for $285 million and was determined to take the team and make them into a successful winning franchise. It took a few years and a lot of hard work, but the Mavericks won the 2011 championship.
9 LeBron James - Liverpool FC
We all know LeBron James as one of the best basketball players today, however, what many might not realize is he's actually a huge fan of soccer, specifically Liverpool FC. Back in 2011, LeBron didn't buy the whole team, but rather a small stake in it.
He invested about $6.5 million which is an approximate 2% stake. Since then, the team has done really Go Cavaliers! well, and the value of the team has increased, as has the value of LeBron's stake. Recently, the team has won its Premier League title.
8 Justin Timberlake - Memphis Grizzlies
Justin Timberlake is a huge fan of basketball, as we've seen over the years. Since he was born and raised in Tennessee, he combined his hometown with the love of basketball and became one of the owners of the Memphis Grizzlies.
In 2012, the team was purchased by Robert Pera for $377 million, and Justin was one of 20 other parties that became minority owners. Justin's investment group contributed about $5 million toward the team, which gives him an approximate 2.84% stake in the team.
7 Michelle Williams - Chicago Sky
Michelle Williams was not only a part of Destiny's Child, but she's also a proud stakeholder in a basketball team. Instead of going for the NBA, Michelle decided to invest in the WNBA instead.
In 2006 she invested into the Chicago Sky, as the team is in her home town. There are multiple stakeholders in the team, and one of them is a familiar face to Michelle, as Mathew Knowles, also known as Beyoncé's dad, also has a stake in the Chicago Sky.
6 Usher - Cleveland Cavaliers
Back in 2005, Usher wanted to take a step away from the entertainment world and try his hand in the business world. As a result, he took his love for basketball and decided that he wanted to buy a part of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Since investing approximately $9 million into the team — which believe it or not is a tiny stake — the Cavaliers have flourished. In 2016 they won the championship, and Usher was quick to show off his ring on Instagram.
5 Russell Crowe - South Sydney Rabbitohs
Russell Crowe had been a fan of rugby basically his whole life. In 2005 when he saw the rugby team the South Sydney Rabbitohs was struggling financially, he and a partner purchased the team for $3 million.
Over the years, Russell continued to put money into the team that he had been a fan of his whole life, wanting the Rabbitohs to succeed. There was even a mini-documentary about Russell buying the club and taking over, which brought more recognition to the team.
4 Michael Jordan - Charlotte Hornets
We all know that Michael Jordan is one of the greatest players to ever play basketball, which is why he's the perfect person to own a team. Since 2006, Michael had been a minority investor and assisted in making final basketball decisions of the Charlotte Hornets.
He already had a lot of involvement with the team, and he was trying to become even more involved. As a result, in 2010, Michael decided to take the plunge and purchase the whole team from its former owner for $275 million.
3 Will Smith - Philadelphia 76ers
In West Philadelphia, he was born and raised, which is why Will Smith will always call the city, and everything involved, home. Will, along with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, are both huge fans of basketball, specifically the Philadelphia 76ers.
In October of 2011, Will decided that they were going to take the plunge and invest in the team. It's not certain how much he invested in the team, but we do know that Will and Jada have a minority stake in the team.
2 Drew Carey - Seattle Sounders FC
Drew Carey seems like he wouldn't be an owner of a sports team, and it's not widely known that he is. Since visiting Spain and attending a few soccer matches, Drew fell in love with the sport. When the opportunity came about for Drew to invest in a brand new soccer team, he took it.
As a result, Drew is a minority owner of the Major League Soccer team, the Seattle Sounders. Since owning a piece of the team, they've done incredibly well, as they've won MLS Cup Titles in 2016 and 2019.
1 David Letterman - Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Former Late Show host David Letterman has an obsession with IndyCar racing. The team was originally founded in 1992 by Indy car champion Bobby Rahal, along with a few other investors. In 1996, David Letterman took his love for racing a step forward when he joined the racing team as an owner.
After a few years in 2004, they officially changed their name to Rahal Letterman Racing, when they also won the Indianapolis 500 that year. They took on another co-owner in 2010, Mike Lanigan, and the team's name was officially changed to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
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