Serena Williams, who received 23 main championships over a 27-year tennis profession, is becoming a member of Toronto Tempo possession, the WNBA staff introduced on Monday.
“This second isn’t just about basketball. It’s about showcasing the true worth and potential of feminine athletes. I’ve at all times mentioned that girls’s sports activities are an unbelievable funding alternative,” Williams mentioned in a press release launched by the enlargement staff.
Williams joins Larry Tanenbaum, the chairman of Kilmer Sports activities Ventures, as homeowners.
Tanenbaum was beforehand a 25 per cent proprietor of Maple Leafs Sports activities and Leisure however has since bought a few of his shares within the firm that owns the NHL’s Maple Leafs, NBA’s Raptors, CFL’s Argos and MLS FC.
“I’m excited to companion with Larry and all of Canada in creating this new WNBA franchise and legacy,” Williams mentioned.
Williams “will contribute to bringing the Tempo to life visually,” the staff mentioned, together with enter on jersey design and merchandise partnerships.
The 43-year-old made her skilled tennis debut in Canada in 1995 en path to her record-setting profession. She received the WTA’s Canadian Open, which was beforehand referred to as the Rogers Cup, 3 times and appeared in two different finals.
Williams can be a founding proprietor of the Nationwide Ladies’s Soccer League’s Angel Metropolis FC and he or she holds minority stakes within the NFL’s Miami Dolphins in addition to TGL’s Los Angeles Golf Membership, the digital golf league headed by PGA stars Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
She was not too long ago noticed subsequent to Tanenbaum at a TGL match in Palm Seashore Gardens, Fla.
Now, she’ll return north of the border to assist usher within the lone WNBA staff positioned exterior of the US.
“Serena is a champion,” mentioned Tempo president Teresa Resch. “She’s the best athlete of all time, and her affect on this staff and this nation goes to be unbelievable. She’s set the bar for girls in sport, enterprise and the world — and her dedication to utilizing that success to create alternatives for different ladies is inspiring.”
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Tanenbaum mentioned the staff “could not be extra honoured” to welcome Williams.
“Serena Williams is an icon, a task mannequin and a pressure for change on this planet. She’s earned each little bit of her unbelievable success with onerous work, tenacity and willpower within the face of numerous challenges. She exemplifies the perfect of what the Tempo stand for,” he mentioned.
Williams’ possession stake remains to be pending closing league approval, the Tempo mentioned.
The Tempo will start play out of Coca-Cola Coliseum within the 2026 season, with some residence video games expecrted to be performed in Montreal and Vancouver.
The staff not too long ago named three-time WNBA champion Monica Wright Rogers as its normal supervisor and hopes to have a head coach in place in time for the enlargement draft, which might happen within the fall.
At her introductory press convention, Wright Rogers spoke concerning the traditionally nice free-agent class set to hit the market subsequent low season.
Now, with Serena Williams within the fold, the pitch to return to Toronto might have gotten that a lot stronger.
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