Browns ownership looking to break into the NBA
By Randy Gurzi
Jimmy and Dee Haslam are the current owners of the Cleveland Browns but now they’re looking into expanding into the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks
Say what you will about the Haslam family, but they’re not afraid to expand their sports portfolio. Jimmy and Dee Haslam purchased the Cleveland Browns from Randy Lerner for $1.05 billion back in 2012 and also own the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer.
However, they’ve also shown an interest in expanding outside of Ohio, and that could now be happening. According to ESPN, the Browns ownership group is looking to purchase 25 percent of the Milwaukee Bucks organization.
Right now, that minority ownership belongs to Marc Lasry who purchased the team in 2014 with another New York investor, Wesley Edens.
Ironically enough, the Haslams wouldn’t be the only NFL-affiliated owners of the Bucks should this deal go through. Aaron Rodgers, currently of the Green Bay Packers, is also a minority owner — although he owns just one percent of the franchise.
This is the second time the Haslam Sports Group has attempted to break into the NBA. They previously tried to purchase the Minnesota Timberwolves but were unsuccessful in that bid.
As for Milwaukee, they recently won an NBA Championship, following the 2021 season. They’re led by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who also won the NBA Finals MVP in 2021. They’ve had much more success than the Haslam’s football team as the Browns are just 60-119-1 under their ownership.
They’ve been plagued by instability as well, cycling through six head coaches in the 11 years. Perhaps seeing how a championship organization is run wouldn’t be the worst thing for this group.
