After coaching his Dallas Mavericks to an opening night win over the San Antonio Spurs in the highly anticipated debut of Victor Wembanyama, Jason Kidd scored another victory off the court.
The 10-time NBA All-Star and current head coach is now a part-owner of the Oakland Roots and Soul Sports Club, the organization representing the USL Championship and USL W League soccer teams, respectively.
“Growing up in Oakland made me who I am today,” Kidd said. “Participating in youth sports defined my journey, and soccer was one of the first sports I played… Between my love for Oakland, the game of soccer, and my mission to create equality for female athletes in their respective sports, I knew I had to get involved with Oakland Roots and Soul so that all youth growing up in Oakland would always have a team in the city to support and aspire to.”
Kidd joins an ownership group that includes Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, NFL legend Marshawn Lynch, rap star G-Eazy, and NFL quarterback Josh Johnson.
But celebrities aren’t the only ones invested: Oakland launched a unique “community investment round,” allowing anyone to invest in the club for as little as $100. So far, the club has raised over $2.7 million from over 4,600 contributors before the round ends at the end of October.
The Roots and Soul have become the focus of professional sports in Oakland after the Raiders left for Las Vegas, the Warriors departed for San Francisco, and the A’s almost certainly headed to Vegas.
As such, the Roots are developing a plan to build a temporary 10,000-seat stadium in a parking lot near Oakland Coliseum before finding a more permanent solution later.
