Dwyane Wade: Other NBA Alums Have Asked About WNBA Ownership After Joining Sky Owners

Dwayne Wade has taken the step into WNBA ownership, and it appears other NBA veterans want in as well.

The 13-time All-Star purchased a stake in his hometown's team, the Chicago Sky, Friday, stating that he wanted to do more than just supporting the league on social media.

"It's a great opportunity to be a part of the league in its very early stages," Wade said (via Alexa Philippou of ESPN.com) "Growth is going to happen, and so I want to be a part of the growth of this league."

He expanded on this by saying that he has heard from other NBA players about exploring ownership opportunities in the WNBA.

Wade's ownership stake is not yet official, as it will be evaluated by the league's board of governors.

The WNBA's CBA, as reported by Lindsay Gibbs, does allow active NBA players to purchase a stake in the league with certain restrictions.

While Wade's current ownership stake in the Sky is unknown, he purchase comes after Chicago Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts purchased a 10 percent stake in the team in June for approximately $85 million.

Wade is not the first professional athlete to invest in a WNBA team, as Tom Brady, Alex Rodriguez and Magic Johnson have all joined ownership groups for the Las Vegas Aces, Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks respectively.