It's a big financial investment for Tatum
Jayson Tatum inked the NBA’s largest contract ever this past offseason when he signed an eye-popping five-year, $314 million extension with the Boston Celtics.
And the Celtics star has a plan on what to do with all that dough.
It was reported last month that Tatum plans to invest in bringing a WNBA expansion franchise to his hometown of St. Louis. And Essence magazine reported Monday that Tatum is willing to put his money where his mouth is and make a $200 million bid in trying to make it happen.
Tatum wouldn’t be alone in the bid attempting to bring a WNBA team to St. Louis. According to Essence, Tatum has teamed up with Richard Chaifetz and David Hoffman. Chaifetz has an estimated net worth of $1.4 billion while Hoffman’s is slightly larger at $1.6 billion.
The WNBA saw exponential growth this past season with the infusion of rookies like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. The league will introduce three expansion franchises over the next two seasons, starting with the Golden State Valkyries for the 2025 campaign. Teams in Portland and Toronto will follow in 2026 with a 16th franchise expected to be added by 2028.
Tatum, who can own up to 4% of a WNBA franchise per the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, certainly will hope St. Louis is next on the list while elevating him into another stratosphere.
Tatum would join the likes of active players such as Patrick Mahomes, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Myles Garrett, James Harden, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers who all have stakes in professional sports teams.