<\/p>\n
\n\tMusic often intertwines with sports, as we\u2019ve seen in Super Bowl halftime shows, pre-game performances, star-studded attendances and more. However, some musicians take their love for a sport a step further by buying a percentage of ownership of their favorite teams.<\/p>\n
\n\tMost recently, Tems<\/a>\u00a0joined the San Diego Football Club\u2019s ownership group as a club partner through her company The Leading Vibe, becoming the first African woman to be involved in MLS ownership. \u201cI am thrilled to join San Diego FC\u2019s ownership group and to be part of a club that celebrates creativity, culture and the power of community,\u201d the \u201cMe & U\u201d singer said in a press release following the announcement. \u201cFootball has a unique way of bringing people together, and I am excited to help build something special in San Diego, a city that thrives on diversity and innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tTems is hardly be the first musician to dip her toes in sports ownership.T he trend of music stars owning percentages in sports teams stretches back throughout the 2000s, with artists like Nelly, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, Usher and more taking part in the athletic world. Many artists ponying up six figures or more for even\u00a0a measly\u00a0percentage of team ownership.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cSports is entertainment. There is crossover at every level,\u201d Mark Cuban, who sold his majority stake in the NBA\u2019s Dallas Mavericks, previously told\u00a0Billboard, but it\u2019s \u201cno different than any business,\u201d he noted, adding, \u201cIf it\u2019s not well run [and] customers aren\u2019t happy, you can lose a lot of money.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tSee below for a full list of musician sports owners below.<\/p>\n \n\tTems joined the San Diego Football Club\u2019s ownership group as a club partner through her company The Leading Vibe, becoming the first African woman to be involved in MLS ownership. <\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI am thrilled to join San Diego FC\u2019s ownership group and to be part of a club that celebrates creativity, culture and the power of community,\u201d the \u201cMe & U\u201d singer said in a press release following the announcement. \u201cFootball has a unique way of bringing people together, and I am excited to help build something special in San Diego, a city that thrives on diversity and innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \n\tAccording to a 2005\u00a0press release<\/a>, the \u201cYeah!\u201d rapper born Usher Raymond IV\u00a0is part of an investor group led by Dan Gilbert, chairman and founder of Quicken Loans, that owns\u00a0the Cleveland Cavaliers.<\/p>\n \n\tHe\u2019s maintained an involved presence in the team ever since, even launching a\u00a0string of tweets<\/a>\u00a0in 2014 to beg\u00a0LeBron James to return to the team (it worked). You can imagine he was pretty happy to see the Cavs win the NBA Finals in 2016,\u00a0judging by a\u00a0video<\/a>\u00a0of the artist celebrating with\u00a0players Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \n\tDon\u2019t anyone dare call\u00a0Justin Timberlake<\/a>\u00a0a bandwagoner. It\u2019s a lesson one fan learned back in 2014, when questioning the \u201cCan\u2019t Stop the Feeling!\u201d singer\u2019s loyalty to the\u00a0Memphis Grizzlies. As Timberlake was\u00a0quick to point out<\/a>, he\u2019s not only from Memphis, but he\u2019s also a minority owner of the team. The Grizzlies even enlisted Timberlake\u2019s help to create a\u00a0promotional film<\/a>\u00a0in 2016 to convince point guard Mike Conley\u00a0to re-sign with the team.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \n\tJay-Z once held stake in his hometown\u2019s Brooklyn Nets \u2014 that is,\u00a0until the rapper launched his own sports agency, Roc Nation Sports, in 2013. According to\u00a0Forbes<\/a>, Jay once held up to 1.5 percent of the\u00a0$530 million team, though by the time he sold his share, it made up less than 1 percent of the total, still an estimated value of about $350,000.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \n\tShortly before\u00a0J.Lo<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Marc Anthony<\/a>\u2018s breakup, the Miami couple purchased a share of the NFL\u2019s Dolphins. Despite the fact that the Dolphins haven\u2019t made the Super Bowl since 1985, the couple haven\u2019t been the only Hollywood stars to snag a piece of the team:\u00a0Gloria<\/a>\u00a0and Emilio Estefan became minority owners in 2009, the same year\u00a0Fergie<\/a>\u00a0was approved as a part owner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \n\tSoon after Jay-Z\u2019s purchase of stake in the Nets, Nelly joined the rapper-turned-NBA-owner trend himself, becoming a part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats\u00a0in 2004. But the\u00a0Nellyville\u00a0rapper\u2019s\u00a0stake in the game ended in 2010, when Michael Jordan became the new owner of the NBA expansion team, now called the Hornets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \n\tThe Hollywood power couple acquired a minority stake in the Philadelphia 76ers in 2011, as part of a\u00a0group of investors led by multibillionaire Joshua Harris. The Fresh Prince is a Philly native \u2014 and his purchase was welcomed by the team\u2019s players. \u201cI think it\u2019s dope that the Fresh Prince is one of our new owners,\u201d\u00a0tweeted<\/a>\u00a0then-player Evan Turner in response, adding, \u201cMaybe Willow can perform at halftime.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \n\tJon Bon Jovi<\/a>\u00a0became\u00a0a majority owner in the Philadelphia Soul, an AFL expansion team, in 2004. And his investment paid off: The team won the ArenaBowl in New Orleans in 2008, but Bon Jovi left the team that year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \n\tAfter an unsuccessful bid to become partial owner of his hometown Cincinnati Reds,\u00a098 Degrees<\/a>\u00a0singer and reality star\u00a0Nick Lachey<\/a>\u00a0took a second shot at sports ownership with the Tacoma Rainiers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. He ended up buying one-third of the team in 2006.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \n\tAmong all the celeb sports team owners on this list, that of\u00a0Kiss<\/a>\u00a0band members\u00a0Gene Simmons<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Paul Stanley<\/a>\u00a0is perhaps the most\u2026 personal. The duo were among the owners of the AFL\u2019s LA Kiss, which not only makes use of the band\u2019s name, but also its iconic logo. The Kiss ceased operations in 2016, but not without leaving their mark as possibly the only rock \u2018n\u2019 roll football players in history.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \n\tCountry star Tim McGraw took on Jon Bon Jovi in 2004 \u2014 but not through music. While Bon Jovi claimed majority ownership of the AFL\u2019s Philadelphia Soul that year, McGraw became part-owner of the league\u2019s Nashville Kats, further tightening\u00a0his ties to Music City. Coincidentally, it was also the same year McGraw took on a role as a former football star in the sports drama flick\u00a0Friday Night Lights.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \n\tMichelle Williams is a minority owner of the WNBA\u2019s Chicago Sky. She became an owner in 2006, along with Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s father, Mathew Knowles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \n\tCastro announced in January 2025 that through his company AWOO Team, he acquired a significant equity stake in\u00a0Paisas<\/a>\u00a0Basketball<\/a>\u00a0club, a professional team in his hometown of Medell\u00edn, marking the first Colombian music artist to own stake in a basketball team.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt\u2019s another facet for us as entrepreneurs. Supporting sports, because the kids in the barrios have the same dreams as us, the artists,\u201d Castro told\u00a0Billboard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
Tems<\/h2>\n
Usher<\/h2>\n
Justin Timberlake<\/h2>\n
Jay-Z<\/h2>\n
Fergie, Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony, Gloria & Emilio Estefan<\/h2>\n
Nelly<\/h2>\n
Will & Jada Pinkett Smith<\/h2>\n
Jon Bon Jovi<\/h2>\n
Nick Lachey<\/h2>\n
Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley<\/h2>\n
Tim McGraw<\/h2>\n
Michelle Williams<\/h2>\n
Ryan Castro<\/h2>\n