(Reuters) – National Basketball Association (NBA) nine-time All-Star Russell Westbrook said he has bought shares in the 49ers group which is in the process of taking over Leeds United, making the American another high-profile name to invest in the English Championship club.
The 34-year-old Los Angeles Clippers point guard will join American golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas to buy shares in the 49ers group.
The group 49ers Enterprises, the investment arm of the National Football League (NFL) franchise San Francisco 49ers, has been a shareholder in Leeds since its initial investment in May 2018.
“I was lucky enough to have conversations with some of the partners in this deal, who already have ownership, the 49ers,” Westbrook said at a sports and entertainment summit held by Sportico.
“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.”
Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani agreed to sell his stake to the investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers NFL franchise after they were relegated from the Premier League.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Michael Perry)
