NBA’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and NHL’s Philip Forsberg have joined the owners group of Major League Soccer team Nashville SC, the team’s primary owner John Ingram announced Thursday. Here’s what you should know:
- Two-time Milwaukee Bucks MVP and 2021 NBA Champion Antetokounmpo will join his brothers Thanasis, Costas and Alex in the ownership group.
- Thanasis also played for the Bucks, Kostas played professionally in Turkey for Fenerbahçe, and Alex played for the Wisconsin Hard in the NBA G League.
- Forsberg, a longtime winger for the Predators, passed David Legwand as the leading scorer in team history in March 2022.
inside story
Nashville isn’t the first professional sports franchise to involve Giannis Antekokumbo, who also became minority owner of MLB’s Milwaukee Brewers in August 2021. Durant (Philadelphia Union) and 76ers’ James Harden (Houston Dynamo FC).
Antetokounmpos and Forsberg join NFL running back Derrick Henry and actor Reese Witherspoon and husband Jim Toth as investors in the team.
what they say
“My father was a professional soccer player and it was the first sport I fell in love with in Greece,” Antetokounmpo said in a statement. “I always had a dream of owning a soccer team. When my brother and I explored Nashville SC, we knew it was a team and a city we wanted to be associated with. I am very much looking forward to participating in In Gold and can’t wait to play at GEODIS Park!”
Forsberg called Nashville “the best sports city in the country.”
“We are very fortunate to be joining two professional teams,” Forsberg said in a statement. “Our city is one big family and fan base, supporting each other on and off the field. Nashville SC is huge to our sporting culture and joining the Ownership Group was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, even though I grew up in Sweden a fan of Liverpool FC. , we are happy to add a second color set for cheering today.”
“Football is a global sport and our new owners reinforce the club’s commitment to being a global team,” Ingram said in a statement. but also ambassadors for their respective sports, role models for millions, champions for their hometowns and around the world.Our teams not only play to the highest standards, but also elevate their communities, We share a common belief in helping those who need it most.”
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(Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA Today)
