Warriors' Chris Paul 'Definitely Open' to Owning NBA Team After He Retires

Golden State Warriors guard and future Basketball Hall of Famer Chris Paul said this week that he would have interest in potentially owning NBA and WNBA franchises once his playing career is over.

In an interview with Forbes (h/t Jasmyn Wimbish of CBS Sports), Paul said the Charlotte Hornets or an NBA expansion team would be on his radar if an ownership opportunity becomes available on either of those fronts:

"Charlotte is definitely home, but I'm open. Especially if there's expansion or something like that, I'm definitely open. I've been involved with the league for too long, from every aspect of it. Just knowing the game, understanding the GMs, player relations, all of the different entities, that's definitely one of my goals. I want to own a team."

CP3 went on to praise the WNBA and its continued development, and noted that he would like to be involved with the league's progression as a team owner:

"Every year since I've been in the NBA I've been to a WNBA game. I'm excited [about the WNBA's future], because doing the union work, I've been involved in their union and just talking about, 'How can we grow their game, how can we do this or that,' and they've just done it organically.

"People are finally starting to see just how amazing their game is. They have so many talented women, they play the game so smooth. Everything is really exciting and effortless, and I just think it's going to continue to grow. And I want to be a part of it. I would love to own a WNBA team."

To this point, Michael Jordan has been the only former NBA player to become the majority owner of an NBA team.

MJ is widely regarded as the greatest NBA player of all time by virtue of his six championships and six NBA Finals MVP awards, but success eluded him during his time as controlling owner of the Hornets from 2010 to 2023, as they didn't win a single playoff series.

Former Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade is the most recent former NBA star to get involved with ownership, as he purchased a minority stake of the Utah Jazz in 2021.

Paul would likely have to take a similar path rather than jumping right into majority ownership, although he could potentially be the majority owner of a WNBA team given the gap in league financials.

If the 39-year-old, 12-time All-Star attempts to ease his way into NBA ownership, it is fair to wonder if he would like to be part of an ownership group with longtime friend LeBron James.

Like Jordan, James has built himself into a billionaire, and he has made it clear over the years that he has NBA ownership aspirations.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said in December on NBA Countdown that James has been "active behind the scenes" in terms of trying to bring an expansion team in Las Vegas with aspirations of being the owner.

Putting the star power of James and Paul behind a Las Vegas franchise would have it off and running, and it could eventually open the door for Paul to become a majority NBA owner as well.