J-Speaks: Three-Time NBA Champion And Future Hall of Famer Joins Utah Jazz Ownership Group

 

It has been a great year for the Utah Jazz, as they are in contention for the top seed in the Western Conference for the first time since the late 1990s. They are a legitimate title contender for the first time since the middle of the 2000s and really since the late 1990s, where they made it to the championship round in spring of 1997 and 1998. Things got even better for the Jazz, who added a future NBA Hall of Famer to their front office.

Right before their 119-111 victory versus the Indiana Pacers (30-33), the Utah Jazz announced the addition of future Hall of Famer and three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade as a minority owner to their ownership group, the youngest ownership group in the National Basketball Association (NBA) led by technology entrepreneur and Qualtrics founder Ryan Smith, and his wife Ashley, who acquired majority interest in the Jazz in late 2020 from the Miller family.

Wade joins a short but growing list of former NBA greats with an ownership stake in an NBA squad, alongside Hall of Famers in six-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan with the Charlotte Hornets and four-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat in Shaquille O’Neal with the Sacramento Kings, and Grant Hill with the Atlanta Hawks.   

When Wade was introduced to the Jazz nation, there was picture of him on the jumbotron in Vivint Arena that said in the greeting, “Welcome to Utah.”

On his Twitter page @DWade he said of this latest venture into the business world, “It’s Bigger Than Basketball!!”

He also said, “As a businessman, entrepreneur, and investor I bring a lot to this partnership outside of basketball experience.”

This young ownership group also led by tech leaders Ryan Sweeney, an Accel partner and investor, Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes, and the Miller family.

The addition of Wade to the Jazz front office that will merge his basketball experience and adding to his business portfolio bringing to realization his dream of being an NBA owner, a dream that he has had since his playing days, a 16-year career with the Miami Heat (2003-16, 2018-19), his hometown Chicago Bulls (2016-17), Cleveland Cavaliers (2017-18).

That business portfolio for the 39-year-old Wade includes partnerships with Li-Ning, Hisense, MISSION, Budweiser, BallerTV, Wade Cellars and 800 [degree] Woodfired Kitchen.

Wade also sees this moment as an opportunity to show kids that have watched him during his career on the hardwood that you can continue to be involved in the sport of basketball at another level than just being a player for the team.

This latest venture into the business for Wade came about several years back when he and Smith first met back in 2019, became friends and have had numerous conversations about working together.

Smith said at the introductory presser introducing Wade as the new member of the ownership group that having Wade join was something that was in the works right about the time the deal was finalized.

“When our conversations just kept going and going, this was a natural fit,” Smith said. “If you think about our group with Ryan Sweeney is a legendary tech investor. The Millers who have been the most amazing, one of the most steady hands in all of basketball, and Mike Cannon-Brookes in Australia, we all bring a piece to this. And where I come from, I always try to get people around who add something. Who I want to be in business with, and we try to go for the best?”  

Not to long after Smith and his wife Ashley acquired the Jazz from the Miller family, those conversations between Smith and Wade focused on the Jazz and the Smith Entertainment Group.

“In my career, at the same time as I was focusing on basketball, business was a big part of my portfolio and what I wanted to become when the game was through,” Wade said at his introductory presser with Smith by his side three Fridays ago. “And when you’re able to get an opportunity to meet someone, you know, like Ryan that has been very successful in business that can educate you. That can teach you.”

“This was always a goal of mine. To one day be a part of something bigger than I, and that’s what the Utah Jazz is. It’s something bigger than myself.”

According to a report from ESPN’s Senior Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Wade will have a role in the Jazz front office, and at the least will be a liaison when it comes to the Jazz and their pursuit of free agents during the off seasons to come.

“Partnering with Ryan and the Utah Jazz is the perfect fit as we share the same vision and values,” Wade said “Not only is this group focused on building a championship franchise, but they are also committed to using their platform to do good and actively create a more inclusive, equitable world. We share a lot of the same goals and are trying to go the same places in life.”

Most of Wade’s success as a player came in his 14 seasons with the Heat, where he helped to win all three of their titles, winning Finals MVP in 2006 when they defeated the Dallas Mavericks in six games; was a 13-time All-Star selection and became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer.

In response as to why Wade take this next step in his life by joining the front office of the team that drafted him No. 5 overall in June 2003.

In a tweet from Heat Governor Mickey Arison @MickyArison answered by saying, “I want to congratulate Dwyane on his recent announcement. We had discussed having him join our ownership group after his retirement but he was not prepared to commit at the time. Of course I am disappointed that he didn’t reconsider. Having said that I wish him good luck and much success with the Jazz. To me Dwyane will always be a HEAT lifer.”

Also, the Heat front office structure is led by Hall of Famer Pat Riley, and the decisions of what happens with the roster and coaching staff, Riley has the first and more often than not the last word.

That would have meant that Wade’s input would not have the same weight had he decided to join the Heat front office as it likely is going to have with the Jazz.

It has been well documented that Smith is no stranger to having solid relationships with high profile people with many of them having spoken at his Qualtrics Summit from former U.S. President Barack Obama, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, actor Michael Pena and six-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tom Brady.  

Another big reason that Wade decided to join the Utah Jazz front office is the connection he had built in recent years with a player that has been described as the 2.0 version of him in two-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell.

Wade said that he has always tried to take a mentorship role in “The Association.” That he understands the importance of having veteran leadership on a team. Having guys on a team that have done it before you and can be a second set of eyes to help you avoid the landmines that you can come across during your career.

“When it came to Donovan, he reached out to me very early because maybe a lot of people talk about the similarities in our games, and even in our temperament as players,” Wade said. “And so, we just connected and just like a lot of other guys in the league over the course of time, I have been a big brother. I’ve been a mentor. And this is another example of doing that.”

“To be 39 years old, two years retired from the game and to be sitting up here today with this, this is just showing Donovan, this is showing other guys in the NBA what’s possible for us. And it’s also showing the young kids in my community. I grew up with this being a fairytale with making it into the NBA, being an owner of a team, being successful in the world was a fairytale. And I’m a living example that fairytales do come true, and so I’m excited about what this not only does for the NBA, but what it does for the little boys and girls out there that, you know look like myself.”

The bottom line is that this latest edition to the Jazz front office is a good business decision for them and for Wade because it gives him another platform to serve the NBA. It also is another example of how the Jazz are changing their perception that they cannot get big names to join their organization whether it be in free agency or in their front office.

This also shows how players who are getting more money during their playing days and saving it to use along with their voice to be a part of NBA and sports front offices like what Jordan, O’Neal and Hill as just mentioned earlier have as well as four-time NBA champion and four-time Finals MVP LeBron James of the Lakers has done recently purchasing a minority share of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB) and MLB legend Alex Rodriguez and his ownership group on the verge of purchasing the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“I love the fact we’ve seen players get more and more money as the salary has gone up, and what they’re doing is using that money, they’re using their voice and they’re putting it towards a good use. And now we’re seeing in ownership roles,” NBATV studio analyst Brendan Haywood said of the trend of former players and even current players becoming part of sports ownership. “That can only be a positive. I love where we’re headed, and I think we’re going to see even more of it. Congratulations to Dwyane Wade. Great player, even better person, and I’m sure he’s going to be great in this role also.”

For years, the Utah Jazz built out their roster, especially during the Karl Malone and John Stockton era through the draft and trades either in the offseason or the trade deadline. Since Ryan Smith and his group has come in, they have worked to change the perception of the Jazz, and the addition of future Hall of Famer and three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade is another step in them becoming a destination for players to consider and putting the team in even better position to be a championship contender and hopefully an NBA champion either this postseason or in the years to come.

Wade also sees this partnership with Ryan Smith and his ownership group as another opportunity to grow as a person and to challenge himself, while being an example for other minorities that they can dream and achieve big things like he has.

“I am always looking for new opportunities to grow and challenge myself,” Wade said. “I’ve always done things my own way and this is the next step in my journey. As a kid from the South Side of Chicago, this partnership goes beyond my wildest dreams of playing basketball, and I hope to inspire the next generation of dreamers.”

Information and quotations are courtesy of 4/16/2021 3 p.m. NBATV Pregame Show “Indiana Pacers versus Utah Jazz,” with Chris Miles, Shaun Powell, and Brendan Haywood; 4/16/2021 ww.nba.com/jazz/news story, “NBA Legend Dwyane Wade Joins Utah Jazz Ownership Group;” 4/17/2021 4:30 p.m. “NBA Courtside,” presented by McDonalds “Utah Jazz versus Los Angeles Lakers,” on ESPN, presented by State Farm with Ryan Ruocco, Hubie Brown, and Jorge Sedano; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwyane_Wade.