NBA superstar James Harden has joined the ownership group of the Houston Dynamo, the MLS club announced on Thursday.
The 2018 NBA MVP and face of the Houston Rockets franchise becomes the fifth member of an ownership group led by Gabriel Brener, which also includes boxing icon Oscar De La Hoya, Ben Guill and Jake Silverstein. In addition to the Dynamo, the group also owns the NWSL's Houston Dash and both teams' home at BBVA Stadium.
“I’m very excited about the opportunity to join the ownership group of the Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash and proud to be a part of a club with tremendous history and a great future,” Harden said in a statement. “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. Soccer in general, and especially MLS, have exploded in this country throughout my lifetime. I’ve been a fan of the game for several years, and I know that Houston has a massive soccer fanbase, so it was an easy decision for me when this opportunity arose.”
In addition to his MVP win, Harden has been an NBA All-Star in each of his seven seasons with the Rockets and has been named first-team All-NBA in five out of the past six seasons. He also helped the US national team to gold medals at the 2012 Olympics and 2014 FIBA World Cup.
“We are thrilled to welcome James into our club. He’s an icon in the Houston community, and not only is he a great basketball player, he has an extremely smart and savvy mind for business,” Brener said. “James will bring a very unique perspective to our ownership group, and I’m looking forward to hearing his thoughts and opinions on the club going forward.”
