Serena Williams joins possession group of WNBA enlargement crew Toronto Tempo

is increasing her portfolio {of professional} sports activities organizations to incorporate a crew.

was introduced Monday as a co-owner the Toronto Tempo, an enlargement crew that’s set to start out play in 2026. Williams is becoming a member of an possession group that’s , chairman of Kilmer Sports activities Ventures.

“I’m thrilled to announce my possession function within the first Canadian WNBA crew, the Toronto Tempo,” Williams mentioned in an announcement. “This second is not only about basketball; it’s about showcasing the true worth and potential of feminine athletes — I’ve all the time mentioned that girls’s sports activities are an unbelievable funding alternative. I’m excited to companion with Larry and all of Canada in creating this new WNBA franchise and legacy.”

In line with by the crew, Williams’ function as an proprietor will embody taking part in “an lively function in future jersey designs” and serving to to “forge distinctive merchandise collaborations with the crew.”

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Her inclusion within the Tempo possession is pending last league approval.

“Serena Williams is an icon, a task mannequin and a pressure for change on the earth” Tanenbaum mentioned in an announcement. “She’s earned each little bit of her unbelievable success with laborious work, tenacity and willpower within the face of numerous challenges. She exemplifies the perfect of what the Tempo stand for — we couldn’t be extra honoured to have Serena in our court docket.”

Williams received 23 main singles titles earlier than on the 2022 U.S. Open. A , Williams owns a minority stake in a number of groups throughout a wide range of sports activities, together with soccer (the NFL’s Miami Dolphins), soccer (the NWSL’s ) and golf (TGL’s Los Angeles Golf Membership).

“Serena is a champion,” Tempo president Teresa Resch mentioned in an announcement. “She’s the best athlete of all time, and her affect on this crew and this nation goes to be unbelievable. She’s set the bar for girls in sport, enterprise and the world — and her dedication to utilizing that success to create alternatives for different ladies is inspiring.”

Issues might get a bit awkward for Williams if she occurs to run into hip-hop star in his hometown of Toronto. Williams was seen onstage in the course of the Tremendous Bowl halftime present final month dancing gleefully a brutal that for report and track of the 12 months.

Williams has implied that her look in the course of the track had nothing to do with Drake, with whom she had been rumored to have been romantically linked in the course of the early 2010s.

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