Two-time NBA All-Star Khris Middleton has purchased a stake in the Brisbane Bullets and joins fellow NBA alumni Kevin Martin and Thaddeus Young as part of the team’s new ownership group.
The Bucks’ Khris Middleton will soon be named as a @BrisbaneBullets minority owner in the @NBL, sources say, to become the latest NBA star to move into the ownership ranks in Australia.
Middleton joins a group led by longtime NBA guard Kevin Martin, Brisbane’s majority owner.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 9, 2021
The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed and while the two-time All-Star guard is expected to play a part in key decisions made within the team he will not be running the day-to-day operations.
Middleton first visited Australia in 2016 when he headlined the first Basketball Without Borders Camp in Australia where he played a key role in coaching and developing players in Dandenong, Geelong. He returned in 2019 as part of Team USA for games against Australia and Canada which were held in Melbourne and Sydney. Middleton shared his excitement around the opportunity to be part of the Bullets organisation.
“I’m thrilled to be announcing that I’m joining the ownership group of the Bullets,” said Middleton. “I seen firsthand the passion for basketball that Australians have. The game of basketball is constantly evolving; especially on a global scale and the Bullets are a team that has incredible potential for growth both on and off the court.”
Middleton’s investment is a major boost for the long-term financial security of both the Brisbane Bullets and the NBL given he will collect $33 million in NBA earnings alone in 2021. The nine-year pro signed a five-year deal at the start of the 2020-21 season worth a combined $177,500,000 with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Yet another @NBA star is set to join the ownership ranks of the @NBL, with @Khris22m reportedly becoming a minority owner of the @BrisbaneBullets.https://t.co/dFUUbUP8PY
— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) April 9, 2021
Bullets Majority Owner Kevin Martin is keen to have Middleton on board and becoming a part of the team’s future.
“Khris has thousands of opportunities to invest money into different sectors so we are excited to have him as part of our team,” said Martin. “Though he has ten more years in the NBA to play, with this opportunity he will be able to be a part of a professional basketball ownership journey in one of the most coveted places in the world.”
Middleton joins a host of past and present NBA players who have become part of the ownership groups of Australian basketball teams.
John Wall recently purchased an ownership stake in the South East Melbourne Phoenix, joining Dante Exum, Zach Randolph, Al Harrington, and Josh Childress. Victor Oladipo invested in the New Zealand Breaks in November 2020, joining former NBA players Matt Walsh and Shawn Marion. While Andrew Bogut has 10% ownership with the Sydney Kings.
Also joining the ownership group are Kyle Hines and Melissa Oden. Hines is a four-time EuroLeague champion who currently plays for Olimpia Milano in Italy and Oden will become the first African-American woman to purchase an ownership stake in an NBL team.