South East Melbourne have added some more star power to their ownership group, with Australian tennis sensation Nick Kyrgios set to become a co-owner of the NBL’s second-youngest franchise.
Kyrgios becomes the latest big-name athlete to join the Phoenix’s ownership, alongside current and former NBA players John Wall, Zach Randolph, Dante Exum, Josh Childress, and Al Harrington, helmed by investment guru Romie Chaudhari.
Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios is in advanced talks to join the @SEMelbPhoenix as a co-owner in Australia's @NBL, sources tell me.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 11, 2023
Kyrgios would join a Romie Chaudhari-led ownership group that includes John Wall, Zach Randolph, Al Harrington, Josh Childress and Dante Exum.
Kyrgios has long been a basketball and NBL fan, even competing in the Sydney Kings’ Celebrity Game in 2022, and this ownership shows an even greater investment from the 27-year-old, who has previously linked up with Chaudhari to invest in a Pickleball franchise in America.
"I am thrilled to be coming on board with the Phoenix and my mate, Romie (Chaudhari)," Kyrgios said via a statement.
"I love the vision he shared with me, and my team and I are really impressed with the organisation's accomplishments in a short period of time.
“I know there is plenty that I can contribute towards the growth of the franchise and I'm especially looking forward to getting down to South East Melbourne and meeting the team and fans and working together with the youth in the city."
Phoenix CEO Tommy Greer agreed that Kyrgios will be able to help grow both the franchise and the sport as a whole, and said he was excited to see how this would affect the future of the club.
"Adding one of the most talented and biggest names in a global sport such as tennis is exciting for the club, especially given the fact that he's Australian, loves the game of basketball, and enjoyed undertaking this venture with Romie (Chaudhari)," Greer said.
"Getting a person like Nick to join our ownership is a testament to the club's vision and how much we have been able to achieve over our first few seasons, two of which were severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic."
The Phoenix are in the midst of what was at one point a promising season, but a horror run of four-straight losses currently sees them sitting in the seventh spot with five games left, scrapping for a spot in the newly-introduced play-in tournament.
