Thad Young always has been as serious about business as he is basketball.
The Bulls’ veteran forward is about to merge the two, confirming a tweet from the New York Times’ Marc Stein that he’s poised to acquire a minority ownership in the Brisbane Bullets of Australia’s National Basketball League.
“I expect it to be finalized in the next week or so,” Young said Friday on a Zoom call. “Definitely happy about being a part of the NBL and the Brisbane family. I think it’s definitely going to be something that’s really good in the coming years.”
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Young said that Kevin Martin, his former Timberwolves teammate and a close friend, reached out to him about joining forces. Martin is a majority owner.
The NBL has grown in notoriety since current Nuggets rookie R.J. Hampton and Hornets wunderkin LaMelo Ball opted to play for the New Zealand Breakers and Illawarra Hawks, respectively, rather than attend college. Coincidentally, Young will see Ball Friday night in Charlotte, N.C., when the Bulls and Hornets meet.
“I look at that league as primed for growth with young talent,” Young said. “More than just a value add through capital, with my expertise and knowledge around the game and relationships I have in the business world, I thought that was a really good move for me.
“I see that as a league where guys can go if they don’t want to go to college and want to come out of high school and be able to grow their games a little.”
NBA
Young has overseen an AAU program based in Memphis, Tenn., that has created a national profile and won the 2019 UAA Finals. A Georgia Tech graduate, he also created a private investment fund and has ventured into real estate and sports training ventures.
“It’s fresh,” Young said of the NBL. “You get in on the early side and help it grow over the course of time so you can obviously see multiples in your capital. But you’re also part of something you can help grow.”
Asked lightheartedly if he’ll be the type of owner to mix it up with officials, a la the Mavericks’ Mark Cuban, Young smiled.
“I’m going to be into the game. But I’m not going to be yelling at the officials or anything like where I get kicked out and stuff,” he said. “I’m going to be real chill, laid-back and just enjoy my time being out of the game and just having my family around.”