Step aside, Jay-Z. A new music industry juggernaut is joining the NBA community. Prospective new owner of the Grizzlies Robert Pera is reportedly nearing completion on an agreement with the team’s current ownership group, and he is in the process of recruiting minority owners. According to ESPN.com, Justin Timberlake has agreed to join the ownership team.
One source told ESPN that Timberlake and Pera have quickly struck up a friendship and that the celebrity is prepared to make a “meaningful investment” and be much more than a silent partner. That would make sense since J.T. is a known basketball fan who has been known to sit courtside during games and hand out congratulatory butt slaps.
Pera has said that his purchasing of the team would “practically guarantee” that the Grizzlies stay in Memphis for at least 15 more seasons. Timberlake was born in Memphis and raised in Tennessee, so that commitment is believed to be a major selling point for him. Your move, Justin Bieber.
