Dwyane Wade interested in investing in Chicago Sky

NBA Hall of Famer and Chicago native Dwyane Wade is looking to become a partial owner of his hometown WNBA team, the Chicago Sky. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Wade was at the team’s practice Tuesday to speak with principal owner Michael Alter and vice president of basketball operations Ann Crosby about potentially investing in the Sky.

Wade also posed for a photo with the team and delivered a message for players where he expressed his interest in helping the WNBA grow. For players such as Sky guard Dana Evans, Wade’s support brought a lot of excitement.

“We need people like him,” Evans said. “We need more NBA players to help expand the WNBA, and he talked a lot about that. It was pretty encouraging.”

Wade’s connection to the Sky is deeper than just the fact he grew up in the city. His cousin, James Wade, is also the team’s coach and general manager. That in mind, his potential investment in the team becomes even more meaningful.

“It would mean a lot, of course,” James Wade said. “Especially when you’re talking about the type of person that he is and how he does stuff for people. He’s recognized and has a reputation of supporting not only this league but supporting everyone. So it would be special if something like that were to happen.”

News of Dwyane Wade’s interest in investing in the Sky comes after team ownership sold a 10% share for $8.5 million last week to an all-female group of new investors. Founded in 2006, the Sky are one of seven independently owned WNBA franchises. The team moved to a new arena in 2018 and won the WNBA Championship in 2021, then finished first in the Eastern Conference in 2022.

Wade played 16 seasons in the NBA, including one with the Chicago Bulls in 2016-17, and won three titles with the Miami Heat. Since retiring in 2019, he has already dipped his toes into the sports ownership world with stakes in the Utah Jazz and the MLS’ Real Salt Lake.

Now the hope is that his name attached to the Sky can help the WNBA continue to grow. The league doesn’t currently provide charter travel for its teams like the NBA, but the Sky has done its best to create a true professional experience for its players. The team added training equipment and post-practice meals recently and is currently developing its own practice facility.

With Wade on board, that would only create more possibility for further growth.

“Once you see D-Wade on with the Sky, it just brings more,” Evans said. “It’ll bring more people out, more fans. We just want to have our name out there.”