Former MLB star Alex Rodriguez is poised to join the ownership ranks, though not in the sport that made him famous as he prepares to take over NBA franchise the Minnesota Timberwolves.
MLB great Rodriguez and former Walmart executive Marc Lore have reached an agreement to buy the Timberwolves from long-time owner Glen Taylor pending league approval, the team said on Friday.
Multiple news outlets reported the pair will pay $1.5billion for the Timberwolves, the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx, the G League's Iowa Wolves and the eSports franchise T-Wolves Gaming.
The 80-year-old Taylor bought the Timberwolves in 1994 for $88million.
Rodriguez and Lore entered into a 30-day exclusive negotiating window with Taylor on April 10, but it took a few additional days after that window closed to finalise the deal.
When word that Rodriguez could purchase the team broke last month, the Timberwolves' top young player, Anthony Edwards, made headlines by saying he had no idea who the 14-time MLB All-Star and World Series champion was.
cc: @AROD https://t.co/NiBKHJ418q pic.twitter.com/5r5mVLUyO4
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 15, 2021
By now, Edwards – number one pick in the 2020 NBA Draft – is well aware of Rodriguez and his background.
Rodriguez – a three-time American League (AL) MVP – hit .295 with 696 home runs across a 22-year career with the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and New York Yankees before retiring in 2016.
But the latter stages of his career were dogged by rumours of performance-enhancing drug use, and he was suspended for the entire 2014 season after violating MLB's drug policy.
He has since served as a television analyst for ESPN and Fox Sports but reportedly had been looking to buy a team in recent years.
Rodriguez, Lore and Rodriguez's then-fiancee –actress and singer Jennifer Lopez – put in a bid for the New York Mets last year but lost out to Steve Cohen.
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