NBA superstar Russell Westbrook has confirmed he is now part of San Francisco 49ers Enterprises’ investment in Leeds United.
Westbrook was speaking at a sports entertainment summit held by Sportico, where he confirmed he is now a minority stakeholder after holding talks with 49ers Enterprises.
The 34-year-old becomes the latest big-name athlete to join the consortium set to take over Leeds, with golfing superstars Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth confirming their involvement earlier this week.
Westbrook is not the only NBA star to be involved, with Larry Nance Jr also among the group of investors, having been interacting with Leeds supporters on Twitter during the last few weeks.
The LA Clippers point guard is listed as the world’s 14th highest paid athlete and is believed to have a net worth in the region of £152 million ($200 million).
NBA superstar Westbrook joins 49ers Enterprises at Leeds
49ers Enterprises are still waiting to receive EFL approval for their takeover of Leeds, but Westbrook is expected to be among a large group of minor investors viewed as contributing ‘added value’ to the buyout.
Speaking on his latest business venture, he said: “I was lucky enough to have conversations with some of the partners in this deal, who already have ownership, the 49ers.
“So I was lucky enough to talk through that with friends, talking with my business partner as well about different things and having conversations, figuring out if this was the right deal and how we could make it different.”
Westbrook is among the most highly regarded basketball players ever having been named as NBA’s most valuable player in 2017, while also being a nine-time All-Star.
Leeds will be hoping such a long list of high profile athletes from numerous different sports will increase their brand exposure across the world, none more so than in America.
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