Minnesota is here to stay.
The once trod-upon Timberwolves have put themselves at the center of the NBA world over the last two seasons thanks to superstar Anthony Edwards and their back-to-back appearances in the Western Conference Finals.
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It also doesn’t hurt that the $3.1 billion franchise is co-owned by one of the most recognizable (and polarizing) athletes of the 21st century, Alex Rodriguez.
The current Timberwolves owner, Glen Taylor, agreed to sell 100 per cent of ownership to Rodriguez and Marc Lore earlier this spring, which has been an ongoing sale for the last few years.
The two sides originally agreed to the $1.5 billion price in 2021, and four years later, after a few various obstacles, have finally made it official.
According to Forbes, the franchise itself is worth $3.1 billion, so Rodriguez and Lore seem to have received a pretty good deal.
A-Rod rose to fame as one of baseball’s most popular figures in the early 1990s when he arrived to play for the Seattle Mariners, before leaving for the Texas Rangers and eventually, the Yankees, where his stardom exploded.
He was a 14-time All-Star and three-time AL MVP, twice with New York.
He also helped the Yankees win their last World Series championship, back in 2009.
A lot of his popularity and fame can be attributed to his professional baseball career, but there is also a large chunk that can be traced back to his ex-girlfriend.
And one of the world’s biggest celebrities.
Singer and actress, Jennifer Lopez.
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Rodriguez and Lopez began dating in early 2017, where the two reportedly hit it off.
Two years later, they were engaged.
However, in April of 2021 they called off the engagement and ended their relationship with one another.
Despite the heartbreak, Rodriguez seems to be doing just fine.
He has a net worth of $350m and is an owner of one of the hottest franchises in pro sports with one of the game’s biggest stars.
He could be doing a lot worse.
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And his team is now just three wins away from their first ever trip to the NBA Finals.
The Timberwolves are down 2-1 to the newly-minted MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder, but have Game 4 on Monday night at home in Minnesota.
They lost the first two games but responded in emphatic fashion in Game 3, defeating OKC by 42 points.
Edwards and company will be looking to tie the series and head back to OKC at two games apiece.
