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When Michael Jordan sold his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, the NBA no longer had any African American majority franchise owners. But with the announcement of former MLB star Alex Rodriguez becoming a co-owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves, he says Black and Hispanic ownership is now a part of the NBA. “I’m hoping that the trend continues,” Rodriguez said to Andscape following an introductory news conference at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 11. “But as far as being someone with Black and Brown skin, I’m representing a lot of good people out there. Give credit to [NBA commissioner] Adam Silver, who championed this transaction. I’m grateful for that.”
When asked if it was important to represent “Black and brown” in his basketball ownership, Rodriguez told Andscape: “Yes. That is what I do. I represent both. And the reason why I am here is because I saw Magic [Johnson] wearing a suit and tie. I said, ‘That was a guy I can relate with. He looks like me. He came from the bottom like me.’ “I can’t put myself in his shoes. But when Magic [became a Los Angeles Lakers minority owner], it kind of ignited my vision. ‘Why not me? Why not you? Why not us?’ I’d like to affect one person to say, ‘This is a guy who is a former athlete who has been through some ups and downs, course-corrected and is someone who can lead others to their dreams.”
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Mike Vorkunov: Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez have been approved by the NBA to be the owners of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx. Lore will be the governor for the Wolves and A-Rod will be alternate governor, while A-Rod will be the governor for the Lynx and Lore will be alternate governor.
They eventually want to build a new arena, have already appointed an interim leader of the business side of the operations to take over while they search for replacements for chief executive officer Ethan Casson and chief operating officer Ryan Tanke, longtime leaders of the business side and close allies of Taylor, and are working on a contract extension for Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, who helped build the Wolves into back-to-back Western Conference finalists.
“I wouldn’t trade these three for anyone,” Rodriguez said. “When you talk about Tim Connelly, coach Finch and Anthony Edwards, especially because of Anthony’s age, having those three together is a great kind of foundation.” Connelly’s contract is up, but he said earlier in the offseason that he wasn’t going anywhere and, team sources said, turned down overtures from other teams looking to poach him. A new deal is expected sometime this summer.
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The two of them have spent the last four years meeting with other ownership groups across leagues to determine best practices. The importance of hiring the right people and letting them do their jobs was a key lesson, they said. Lore said the goal is to establish a set of standards and principles within the organization. “Once they understand the nuances and the vision strategy in the same way that me and Alex do, then there’s no need to be involved in the decision making at all,” Lore said.
Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx top executives Ethan Casson and Ryan Tanke are stepping down from their roles, the biggest front-office changes so far as the organization prepares to enter a new era under new ownership. The two leaders, who have spent a total of more than 45 combined year with the organizations, announced their plans to step down in a joint letter sent to staff members Friday. Neither announced plans for where they will go next, and the new ownership team — led by former Major League Baseball star Alex Rodriguez and e-commerce executive Marc Lore — has not publicly identified any possible successors for their roles.
Tim Connelly moved an opt out in his contract last summer as he awaited how the Wolves ownership situation was going to play out. Now that that’s settled, and Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore are set to become controlling owners, Connelly seemingly put to rest any concerns that he would leave. “Super happy here,” Connelly said. “It’s been great, not just as working with the team, but this whole community really feels like home. I think you guys are stuck with me.”
Sometime toward the end of June, team sources familiar with the process told The Athletic, the league is expected to hold a final vote to approve Lore and Rodriguez as the new majority owners of the Timberwolves and Lynx. The two partners prevailed over Taylor in a February arbitration ruling, essentially ending a tense and bitter power struggle for control of the franchises.
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