Serena Williams, the renowned tennis legend and 23-time Grand Slam champion, has expressed her keen interest in investing in the rising realm of Woмen’s basketball. In a recent interview with CNN preceding the WNBA Draft, Williams revealed her readiness to back a WNBA team.
“I absolutely would be,” Williams affirmed. “With the right market, I would definitely be supег interested in that.”
With a career prize money of approximately $95 million and a net worth estimated at $290 million by Forbes, Williams, alongside her husband Alexis Ohanian, has already ventured into multiple sports investments. Their portfolio includes Angel City FC of the National Woмen’s Soccer League and the Los Angeles Golf Club, a franchise developed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy under the TGL brand.
Although Williams didn’t specify her WNBA investment preferences, the league’s recent expansion plans, including the introduction of a Bay Area franchise scheduled for 2025, signal promising opportunities. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert has outlined an ambitious goal to expand the league from 12 to 16 teams by 2028.
While Williams and Ohanian have predominantly focused on Los Angeles-based franchises, such as the Sparks in the WNBA, Williams expressed readiness to explore opportunities aligned with the right market.
“I think Woмen’s sport is having a moment that it should have always had,” Williams emphasized. “Now it’s time to lift up other sports — Woмen’s soccer, Woмen’s basketball. There’s so many other sports that woмen do so great. Let’s put it on that platform that tennis is on. Woмen’s basketball is getting there, and it’s arrived.”
Addressing potential investment risks in Woмen’s basketball, Williams remained optimistic, citing the growing viewership of Woмen’s sports, exemplified by the recent NCAA tournaments where the Woмen’s national championship attracted more viewers than the мen’s final.
“There is no гιꜱk,” Williams declared confidently. “Woмen’s sport is exciting, woмen are exciting to watch. It’s an overly safe bet when it comes to investing.”