Written By Ritz Agranum at ChinaTopix.com
The National Basketball Association’s first ever Chinese minority team owner said on Wednesday that he is hoping to use his connections in China to help the Minnesota Timberwolves turn into a global brand.
“Since I’ve been a fan of the NBA for so long, I wondered if I could be part of the sport so that I can establish connections between the NBA and the Chinese market, to do my contribution for the development of both,” Lizhang Jiang, who owns five percent of the Timberwolves, said. “I not only know the Chinese market, but also know very well about the international sports market.
“I am confident I can transfer my experience and resources in those aspects into the basketball business to help the Timberwolves grow both in the Chinese market and global market,” the Chinese business tycoon added, according to ESPN.
Jiang recently acquired 98 percent of the Spanish football team Granada CF, which is currently participating in La Liga.
The 35-year-old Shanghai-based businessman said “he has not thought about becoming a majority owner of an NBA team,” according to the Associated Press.
“My job is to transfer my expertise and experience in sports business into helping the team gain greater development,” Jiang said. “That is the only important thing for me. You can only talk about more when you’ve done a great job on what you’re focusing on now. The rest will come along naturally.”
Recently, the Timberwolves hired the services of the former Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau as coach and president and Scott Layden as general manager as part of the team rebuilding plans. Minnesota currently has a promising young roster that includes Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine, and Andrew Wiggins.
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