The Miami Dolphins will look a bit different next season as they have some new faces in the front office and will have some on the roster, but there will also be some new stakeholders as well. In a record-setting valuation, Bin Lin has acquired a stake in the franchise, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
“Bin Lin, the co-founder and vice chairman of Xiaomi, is acquiring a 1% stake of the Miami Dolphins, along with Stephen Ross’s full portfolio of Hard Rock Stadium, the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix and the Miami Open, at a record-setting valuation of $12.5 billion, the highest in professional sports,” Schefter wrote on X, formerly Twiter.
The 12.5 billion valuation is to be the highest for a minority transaction in professional sports.
“I am privileged to have the opportunity to invest in the Miami Dolphins and the amazing sports business built by the great entrepreneur Stephen Ross,” Lin said in a statement. “This world-class team operates not only the Dolphins but also the incredible Hard Rock Stadium and a host of renowned sporting events from Formula 1 racing to the Miami Open. As a huge sports fan, it's a wonderful investment and learning opportunity for me.”
In 2010, Lin co-founded the Chinese consumer electronics company, Xiaomi. He earned his master's degree from Drexel University in 1992 and worked as a software engineer at Microsoft and Google before co-founding the electronics company.
This isn't the first minority sale that Dolphins' owner Stephen Ross has made over the years. In 2024, he announced an investment deal with Brooklyn Nets owners Joe Tsai and Oliver Weisberg, as well as Ares Management funds. Ares acquired a 10% stake, and Tsai and Wesiberg brought a 3% interest together.
