Kevin Durant is already taking steps to own an NBA team after retiring

Since joining the Golden State Warriors, Kevin Durant’s wishes to own an NBA team have increased, according to a report from ESPN’s Chris Haynes. Currently, there is only one former player — Michael Jordan of the Charlotte Hornets — who holds the majority ownership stake of a team.

Jordan doubles as the only African-American in a majority ownership role, and that’s one reason Durant would like to purchase his own team when his playing career is over. Durant and his business partner, Rich Kleiman, have taken meetings with CEOs and other franchise owners over the past year and a half, and Durant has heavily sunk himself into the tech world, including investing in half a dozen startup businesses.

“This is a genuine goal of his after he retires, to add another African-American in the position of majority ownership,” a source told Haynes.

One reason that Durant joined the Warriors was the Bay Area location, where tech companies have flourished. In an ESPN interview, Durant said this:

“We’re paid for what we can do on the basketball court and most players know these paychecks are not going to come on the first and 15th for the rest of our lives. If we get a big sum of money, why not try to help it grow? That’s what entrepreneurs and Fortune-500 CEOs do. They get a crop of money and they try to grow it. They get a product and they try to grow it. We’re our own business. Why not try to control that and why not try to leverage that to provide a better life after you’re done playing? That’s what it’s about.”

In the interview, Durant also expressed a desire for more African-Americans represented in NBA front offices and personnel roles.

Durant will face LeBron James on Monday in a star-studded clash between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. James is another player who has expressed interest in owning an NBA team after retiring.