Having spent 16 illustrious seasons in the NBA, winning three NBA championships and several individual accolades, Dwyane Wade had it all. So, after finally hanging his sneakers for good, Wade followed in the footsteps of a few other NBA legends, owning a small share in an NBA franchise. A part of the group that owns the Utah Jazz, Wade recently shared his excitement over his business partner’s latest acquisition.
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Dwyane Wade became a minority shareholder in the Utah Jazz back in 2021. Majorly owned by Ryan Smith, Wade recently went to Instagram after Smith’s latest $1.2 billion purchase of the NHL team based out of Utah.
“Some talk. Some do. My Partner. Yes Utah.”
Ryan Smith bought the Utah Jazz for $1.66 billion back in 2020. Two years later, Smith acquired Real Salt Lake and the Utah Royals the following year, reviving soccer in the city of Utah. And now, the city of Utah will have an NHL team to boast about as well.
Hyped to see his partner make bold moves year after year, Wade could not help but highlight his Utah Jazz partner’s $1.2 billion purchase as he went to social media to express his excitement.
The executive chairman and co-founder of Qualtrics, Ryan Smith is an American Billionaire, who has his company based out of Utah. And apart from putting Salt Lake City on the map in terms of business, Smith has a great way of spending his billions in the same city as well.
Back in 2020, Smith revealed his decision to buy the Utah Jazz was heavily influenced by his wife. About to purchase the Minnesota Timberwolves, Smith made the last-minute change after his wife put her foot down.
“With my wife, something wasn’t right. She was putting her foot down. She was like, ‘You know we’re Jazz fans, right? That’s what we do, and I’m not moving.’ She doesn’t put her foot down very often, but it was a nice reminder that I was kind of getting caught up in this other world because I liked the business side of it.”
As per ESPN, shortly after he acquired the Utah Jazz franchise, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver went on to give a public statement.
“As a lifelong fan of the Utah Jazz and more recently as one of their key marketing partners, Ryan has demonstrated his deep commitment to the Jazz and the Utah community, and there’s no doubt he will bring that same level of dedication to the operation of the team.”
The 46-year-old billionaire has now brought the NHL to Utah as well, giving the people of Utah something else to cheer about as well. Though the team hasn’t been named, Smith is having polls and surveys that best capture the essence of the city of Utah in the name of the team. Let’s see what Smith finally comes up with.
