Houston Rockets superstar guard James Harden, bought a minority stake in the investment group that controls the Houston Dynamo of the Professional Soccer League of the United States (MLS), the women’s team of the Houston Dash of the NWSL and the BBVA stadium. Hondurans Maynor Figueroa, Alberth Elis, Boniek García and Romell Quioto play for the Dynamo.
“I am very excited about the opportunity to join the Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash Ownership Group and I am proud to be part of a club with an important history and a great future,” he said. Harden in a statement issued Thursday on the Texan team’s website.
“Houston is my home now, and I saw this as a way to invest in my city and expand my business interests at the same time,” he valued Harden.
“Soccer in general, and especially MLS, has emerged unstoppably in this country and I have seen it all my life,” he added.
Harden He said he was a fan of the sport of football (soccer in the United States) for several years and knew of the great fans in Houston, so his decision to invest in Dynamo shares, when he had the opportunity, was an easy one.
The Rockets star has bought a five percent stake in the investment group that owns the Dynamo, Dash and BBVA Stadium, where both teams play, and which are valued at $ 475 million.
The seven-time NBA All-Star, who signed a guaranteed $ 228 million contract with the Rockets in 2017, joins a group of owners that includes majority owner Gabriel Brener, boxing legend and promoter Oscar De La Hoya, White Deer Energy Managing Partner Ben Guill.
Also part of the group is Portland investor Jake Silverstein, based in Oregon. All are expected to remain in the Dynamo / Dash / BBVA Stadium investor pool.
“We are delighted to welcome James to our club. He is an icon in the Houston community, and not only is he a great basketball player, but he has an extremely smart and business-minded mindset, ”Brener said.
“James will bring a unique perspective to our group of owners, and I look forward to hearing his thoughts and opinions on the club in the future.”
De La Hoya, who founded Golden Boy Promotions in 2002, said the success of Harden as an athlete it will also help you in business.
“James is already at the top in his sport, so it is natural to want to face new challenges off the court,” said De La Hoya.
“He knows the drive and determination it takes to be the best of all, and I’m excited that he’s going to bring that attitude to our club,” he continued.
Brener acquired the controlling stake in Dynamo from previous owners AEG in 2015 after first investing in Dynamo in 2008. BBVA Stadium opened in 2012 and the group of owners later bought NWSL in 2013.
However, sports performance in recent years has not been the best on the part of the Dynamo, although last season they were proclaimed champion of the US Open Cup for the first time, which gave them the option to compete in the Concacaf Champions League. . EFE