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'What an honor': Tom Brady becomes part owner of WNBA's Las Vegas Aces
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- 'What an honor': Tom Brady becomes part owner of WNBA's Las Vegas Aces
Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum will likely be seeing a lot more of her "favorite athlete" – seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady .
Mark Davis, owner of the 2022 WNBA champion Aces and the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders , announced on Thursday that Brady has acquired an ownership interest in the WNBA team. The deal is subject to WNBA approval.
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"I got really special news to share today. I'm excited to announce that I'm going to be part of the Las Vegas Aces organization," Brady said in a video shared on Twitter. "What an honor. I can't wait to watch these amazing talented players bring another championship to Las Vegas."
The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, who retired for the second time in February, said it was only "a matter of time that I was back in the building with some of the greatest athletes in the world."
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Brady got a firsthand look at the Aces' "FIRST class basketball" in May 2022 while sitting courtside at Michelob ULTRA Arena for Las Vegas' 89-81 win over the Connecticut Sun . He met with Davis at halftime and got a hug and bark from Plum.
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"I went right up to him. I dapped him up, gave him a big hug, and I was like, 'Man, you're a dog, I love you,'" Plum said postgame , adding that she barked at him. "He looked at me and he was like, 'Yeah!' We connected… He's not gonna forget that."
It appears he didn't.
"I have always been a huge fan of women's sports, and I admire the work that the Aces' players, staff, and the WNBA continue to do to grow the sport and empower future generations of athletes," Brady added in his statement. "To be able to contribute in any way to that mission as a member of the Aces organization is an incredible honor."
Plum reacted to the news on Twitter with several crying emojis: "WHAT ISSSSSS LIFFEEEEEEE." A'ja Wilson replied : "Don't be doing all that barkin' & (expletive)."
Tom Brady (L) talks with Kelsey Plum (2nd L) #10 and Chelsea Gray (R) #12 of the Las Vegas Aces as Mark Davis (3rd L), owner of the Aces and Las Vegas Raiders, looks on during halftime of the Aces' game against the Connecticut Sun on May 31, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Brady said his love of women's sports started with his older siblings, when he would "tag along to all my older sisters' games."
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"They were by far the best athletes in our house!" he said. "We celebrated their accomplishments together as a family, and they remain a great inspiration to me."
Davis called Brady's addition to the Aces' ownership "a win not only for the Aces, and the WNBA, but for women's professional sports as a whole."
The Aces have been doing a lot of winning lately. The 2022 champions upgraded their roster in the offseason with two-time league MVP Candace Parker and Alysha Clark .
But it's not all smooth sailing. The WNBA opened an investigation into the Aces in February for under-the-table payments and accusations of bullying by former forward Dearica Hamby .
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LAS VEGAS ACES: WNBA investigating under-the-table payments, Dearica Hamby statements
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tom Brady becomes part owner of WNBA's Las Vegas Aces
