Half of the WNBA is owned by Jews
Here’s the list
Did you know that 7 out of 13 WNBA teams have Jewish majority owners? That’s not all—another three WNBA teams also have minority Jewish ownership.
The league hasn’t been around long — it had it’s first season in 1997. Additionally, the league was led by a Jewish president — Donna Orender — from 2005 to 2010.
These are the WNBA teams with Jewish owners
Larry Gottesdiener (Atlanta Dream)
Mark and Carol Davis (Las Vegas Aces)
Michael Alter1 (Chicago Sky)
Joe Lacob (Golden State Valkyries)
Herb Simon (Indiana Fever)
Marc Lore2 (Minnesota Lynx)
Mat Ishbia (Phoenix Mercury)
Other teams with Jewish minority owners
Now, ever since I was a kid watching the NBA, I’d constantly get bombarded with WNBA ads on TV. And every time, the same question popped into my head: Who watches this league that nobody seems to want to watch?
Some of the answer lies in the data. The league is at least 38% lesbian. And 25% of lesbians watch it.
This article is part of a series on Jewish leaders in America. Executive branch, Congress, state and local government, university presidents, NFL, MLB, NBA, MLS, and WNBA.
Michael Alter’s family comes from a Polish shtetl, a small Jewish town. His father supported a local Jewish day school. He hosted a youth group at a Jewish United Fund.
Marc Lore is likely Jewish. He was an esteemed speaker at a Jews in Tech event with other Jewish speakers. In October 2023, he posted a tributary message to Israelis. One of his social media affiliates referred to him as a “fellow Jew”. .
Sue Bird carries an Israeli passport. Russian-Israeli millionaire Shabtai Kalmanovich fondly called Sue Bird his "Jewish daughter".
Oliver Weisberg has an undisclosed minority stake in BSE Global, which owns New York Liberty.