NBA star Russell Westbrook is now a partial owner of the English soccer club Leeds United. The Los Angeles Clippers player has joined investment company 49ers Enterprises, the investment arm of the NFL‘s San Francisco 49ers, which first invested in the club in 2018.
Last month, Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani agreed to sell his stake in the club to 49ers Enterprises. And just a few days ago, it was reported that professional golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas had purchased stakes in the soccer team.
Westbrook, one of the highest-paid athletes in the NBA, is now a minor stakeholder himself. The business decision was made following conversations with others involved in the deal, including the San Francisco 49ers.
“I was lucky enough to have conversations with some of the partners in this deal who already have ownership, the 49ers,” Westbrook said at a sports summit hosted by Sportico.
“So I was lucky enough to talk through that with friends, talking with my business partner as well about different things and having conversations, figuring out if this was the right deal and how we could make it different.”
In other sports news, LeBron James confirmed he is not retiring and announced his return for a 21st NBA season.
