Milwaukee Buck star Khris Middleton has decided to put in some of his money in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL). The 29-year-old joins the likes of John Wall and Thaddeus Young as the latest NBA players to have invested in a professional basketball team in Australia.
This report comes via Marc Stein of the New York Times:
The Bucks' Khris Middleton will soon be named as a @BrisbaneBullets minority owner in the @NBL, sources say, to become the latest NBA star to move into the ownership ranks in Australia.
Middleton joins a group led by longtime NBA guard Kevin Martin, Brisbane's majority owner.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 9, 2021
Aside from being a two-time All-Star, Middleton will now add the title of NBL franchise part-owner to his resume. As Stein reports above, Middleton will join former NBA guard Kevin Martin, who himself is currently the majority stakeholder of the Brisbane Bullets.
Middleton is certainly not the first NBA personality to have invested in the NBL. Thaddeus Young of the Chicago Bulls will also be in the mix as he joins Middleton as a minority owner for the Bullets:
Middleton, twice an NBA All-Star, is this season's second active player to join Brisbane ownership along with Chicago's Thaddeus Young.
They are the latest entrants among current and former NBA pros to become majority or part-owners with teams in Australia's national league.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 9, 2021
John Wall of the Houston Rockets, on the other hand, had already put in his investment in the NBL a few months prior:
In November it was Houston's John Wall joining Melbourne's own Dante Exum and the retired trio of Zach Randolph, Al Harrington and Josh Childress in @SEMelbPhoenix ownership. @NZBreakers ownership is led by Heat alumnus Matt Walsh and features Victor Oladipo and Shawn Marion.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 9, 2021
As you may have determined, there are now more than a few big-name current and former NBA players who are fully invested in Australia's professional basketball league. This speaks volumes of the NBL's current and future potential. For fans of the NBL, this are truly exciting times, as the injection of fresh funds should translate to across-the-board improvements in and around the league.
It is also worth noting that Charlotte Hornets rookie sensation LaMelo Ball also tried investing in the NBL. The Rookie of the Year frontrunner attempted to buy his former team, the Illawara Hawks, only for the league to decide to sell it to another big name in basketball in Bryan Colangelo, the former Philadelphia 76ers general manager and team president.
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