Dwyane Wade has revealed who influenced his decision to invest in the WNBA.
In 2023, the former NBA player, who was born in the “Windy City” and has three national championships to his name, decided to become an investor in the Chicago Sky when the team was valued at $85 million, a news release mentions. It was not revealed what size stake Wade purchased. The team is now worth $95 million, according to Sports Illustrated.
Reflecting on Wade’s participation as an investor, Nadia Rawlinson, co-owner and operating chairman of the Chicago Sky commented,” Not only has Dwyane been an extraordinary talent on the court during his career, but even more so in his business and philanthropic endeavors after. We care a lot about the culture that we’ve built, and we want people around us that have the same outlook and values as we do, and he is definitely one of those people.”
She added, “Dwyane is very much someone who can help us achieve those goals and even take them to another level. There are a lot of potential synergies between what he’s already doing and what we want to do.”
Wade’s decision to become involved in the team as an investor was widely influenced by his 5-year-old daughter, Kaavia, he shared on “CBS Mornings.” Understanding the importance of representation and the impact of role models, he wanted his daughter to have inspiration like his son, Zaire, did with his favorite NBA players.
“The big part of that is that my son, Zaire, grew up and he had a dream of being in the NBA,” Wade told CBS News. “He had a dream of being like his favorite players. You understand the importance of role models and so, I want my daughter to have that same feeling.”
One of those influences is Angel Reese, who was selected as the seventh overall pick by the Chicago Sky and currently plays as a forward for the team. Reese is signed to a four-year contract valued at $324,383 with the team, per Spotrac. Prior to her foray in the WNBA, she was a seasoned collegiate athlete for Louisiana State University and had earned 17 name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, including with Wingstop, McDonald’s, Raising Cane’s, and Amazon, as AFROTECH™ previously reported.
In October 2023, she secured a multi-year endorsement deal with Reebok after Shaquille O’Neal had been hired on as the president of Rebook Basketball. Her most recent accomplishment includes making the 2024 All Star team as a rookie, per the WNBA.
“She’s owning it. She is owning who she is,” Wade said of Reese, according to “CBS Mornings.” “She wants to be great and she wants to be a great teammate. And so, our conversations, when we do talk, it’s about that and giving her that confidence to continue to be that.”
Wade has great hope for the Chicago Sky team as a whole, believing it can continue to attract top talent as it continues to evolve.
