NBA champion Kevin Durant is now a minority owner of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) club NJ/NY Gotham FC, according to ESPN. 

Durant’s venture capital firm, Thirty Five Ventures (35V), which he co-founded with entrepreneur Rich Kleiman, is the third entity to acquire an ownership stake in the club since the month of March.  

Durant and Kleiman have invested in numerous franchises over the years, and both men serve as advisory board members of women’s professional sports league network Athletes Unlimited.

“In order to grow women’s sports, fans need to see how great the games are, and they shouldn’t have to look hard to do that,” Durant said, according to Just Women’s Sports. “Just Women’s Sports is creating a much-needed platform centered around game and player highlights and analysis that shows fans exactly how good these players are and why they’re worth watching.”

“As a New York-based company, the opportunity for us to partner with a forward-thinking team like Gotham FC was a no brainer,” Kleiman said in a press release. “There’s been so much growth in the NWSL in recent years, and the chance to be a part of that growth and work directly with the Gotham FC executive team and players is really exciting.”

Gotham managing owner Ed Nalbandian credited Durant and Kleiman as being “two of the most influential people in sports.”

“This is another big step forward for our franchise,” he said, according to ESPN. “They will be tremendous resources to the club across multiple areas and we’re excited to welcome them to the Gotham FC family.” 

Gotham will have its first home match of 2022 against the North Carolina Courage on May 14.

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