Major League Baseball legend Alex Rodriguez and businessman Marc Lore are expected to get a majority stake in the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx in the coming days.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Rodriguez and Lore have until Dec. 31 to purchase a controlling stake in the franchises from current owner Glen Taylor, and they could do so as soon as Thursday.
Rodriguez and Lore bought a stake in the franchises in 2021, with the understanding that they would take over the entirety of the Timberwolves and Lynx through the end of 2023.
According to Wojnarowski, Rodriguez and Lore allegedly bought his stake in the T-Wolves for around $1. 5 billion, and A-Rod said at the time that he and Lore were ahead of the next phase of their partnership with Taylor.
ESPN reported in July 2021 that the NBA’s Board of Governors had approved Rodriguez and Lore as limited partners and that a two-and-a-half-year “path of control” succession plan was in place.
The long-awaited change in strength comes at a pivotal time for the Timberwolves, as they have stunned world basketball as the most productive team in the Western Conference so far this season with a 22-7 record.
Minnesota barely reached the playoffs last season, but with Anthony Edwards realizing his superstar potential, Karl-Anthony Towns staying healthy and Rudy Gobert bouncing back from a tough first season with the franchise, the Timberwolves have all the makings of a championship contender.
The T-Wolves have never played in the NBA Finals and have reached the Western Conference Finals once, but the road to a championship may go through Minnesota this season.
Once the strength transition is complete, A-Rod will become one of the most high-profile athletes to own a primary professional sports franchise.
Rodriguez, 48, spent 22 seasons as an MLB shortstop and third baseman for the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and New York Yankees.
A-Rod is one of the players in league history with 14 All-Star selections, 3 American League MVP awards and a World Series name under his belt.
Rodriguez finished his career with 3,115 hits, 2,086 RBIs and 2,021 runs scored, and ranks fifth all-time with 696 home runs.
A new era in Timberwolves basketball is on the horizon, as Rodriguez and Lore will buy the entire organization from the 82-year-old Taylor, who first bought it in 1994 and saved it from a move imaginable back then.
Taylor also owned the Lynx since their inception in 1999, overseeing four championships, which is tied for the most in WNBA history with the Seattle Storm and Houston Comets.