LAS VEGAS -- Seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady has acquired an ownership stake in the WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.
He attended an Aces game on May 31 and later sent Las Vegas star Kelsey Plum a jersey and other gifts.
"I am very excited to be part of the Las Vegas Aces organization," Brady said in a statement Thursday. "My love for women's sports began at a young age when I would tag along to all my older sisters' games -- they were by far the best athletes in our house! We celebrated their accomplishments together as a family, and they remain a great inspiration to me.
"I have always been a huge fan of women's sports, and I admire the work that the Aces' players, staff, and the WNBA continue to do to grow the sport and empower future generations of athletes. To be able to contribute in any way to that mission as a member of the Aces organization is an incredible honor."
Brady announced his retirement Feb. 1 at age 45. He won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and owns multiple passing records over a 23-year career.
"Tom Brady is a win not only for the Aces, and the WNBA, but for women's professional sports as a whole," Mark Davis, owner of the Aces as well as the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders, said in a statement.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert issued a statement that read: "We are pleased to see the incredible momentum around the WNBA continue as evidenced by our recent league and team equity deals. We look forward to welcoming Tom Brady as an owner once the league process and approvals are complete. We have seen Tom Brady courtside at our games and are thrilled he recognizes the value of supporting women's basketball and the WNBA."
