NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist Jimmy Butler joined the NWSL’s San Diego Wave as a minority investor, adding his name to a growing list of accomplished athletes who have acquired a stake in women’s soccer club.
Butler joins Alex Morgan, the retired Wave player and two-time Women’s World Cup winner with the U.S. women’s national team, as one of the high-profile minority owners in the team. The basketball player is a known soccer fan and has a home just outside of the southern California city, his investment in the Wave serving as a meeting point for those two things.
“Soccer has been a passion of mine for a long time, and being part of the game in a meaningful way has always been a dream,” Butler said in a statement issued by the club on Monday. “San Diego has become a city close to my heart, and I’m proud to invest in a Club that is pushing boundaries, building something lasting, and setting a new standard for what women’s sports can be both on and off the pitch.”
Butler adds his investment in the Wave to a growing business portfolio, led by Bigface, the coffee lifestyle brand he co-founded in 2020 initially as a way of selling coffee to other NBA players in the NBA Bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Warriors star also has several other investments in businesses across the sports, lifestyle and wellness industries.
“Jimmy is a competitor and visionary who shares our values and our ambition to grow this Club,” Lauren Leichtman, controlling co-owner of the Wave, said. “He brings a global perspective, a deep respect for the athlete’s journey, and a creative spirit that perfectly complements what we are building here at Wave FC.”
The Levine Leichtman family office completed its takeover of the Wave in October 2024 for a deal reportedly worth a total valuation of $120 million, with Morgan joining the ownership group months later.
The Wave have booked a spot in the 2025 NWSL playoffs and sit in fifth place with one more match in the regular season to go. They will next play the NWSL Shield-winning Kansas City Current on Nov. 2, and a win could take them as high as third place in the table and guarantee them hosting rights for the quarterfinals.
