Did you ever wonder exactly how big Jay-Z’s stake is in the Brooklyn Nets?
According a New York Times report, the rapper owns one-fifteenth of one percent of the team resulting from a $1 million investment nine years ago.
Despite his minimal financial contribution, Jay-Z’s influence on the team is vast.
Over the years, the hip-hop superstar has helped to recruit players, played a part in designing the new logos and uniforms, influenced the music played in the arena, and even gone so far as to coach arena security on how to screen patrons for weapons.
Although Jay-Z seems to carry a big load for Nets management, he also nets a strong return for his efforts.
He has free access to one of 11 “Vault” suites at the Barclays Center arena which are valued at $550,000 a year. The suites also carry Armand de Brignac, a champagne that Jay-Z promotes and owns a stake in. The arena will also house a store for Rocawear, Jay-Z’s clothing line. Other perks include endorsement deals which would normally be for athletes, including a Budweiser commercial which aired during the London 2012 Olympic Games. He also recently became the executive producer of NBA 2K13, a basketball video game.
Jay-Z is not the sole musician to own a piece of NBA team — Will Smith owns a piece of the Philadelphia 76ers. Ditto for Usher and the Cleveland Cavaliers — but the Brooklyn native is certainly the most influential.
