Serena Williams has joined the Toronto Tempo’s ownership group, the WNBA expansion franchise announced Monday.

Williams will “play an active role in future jersey designs and will help forge unique merchandise collaborations with the team,” the franchise said. The tennis icon will also “contribute to bringing the Tempo to life visually.”

“I am thrilled to announce my ownership role in the first Canadian WNBA team, the Toronto Tempo,” Williams said in a statement. “It is about showcasing the true value and potential of female athletes — I have always said that women’s sports are an incredible investment opportunity.”

The Tempo were unveiled as the league’s 14th franchise last May and will debut in the 2026 season. The team will be led by Toronto billionaire Larry Tanenbaum and Kilmer Sports Ventures, which also invests in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), owner of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors.

“I am excited to partner with Larry and all of Canada in creating this new WNBA franchise and legacy,” Williams said.

The percentage of Williams’ stake in the franchise was not announced, and her investment is still pending final league approval.

Williams, a 23-time major women’s singles title-winner on the tennis court, is no stranger to investing in other professional sports franchises. In 2009, Serena and her sister Venus became minority owners of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. Serena, alongside her husband, entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, later became founding members of the NWSL’s Angel City FC ownership group. Alongside her husband, sister and daughter Olympia, Serena is also an owner of one of the six founding teams of the TGL, a new golf league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

Williams getting involved in a WNBA franchise isn’t overly surprising. She told CNN last April she was “super interested” in adding a team to her investment portfolio.

“I absolutely would be (interested). With the right market, I would definitely be super interested in that,” she said.

Tanenbaum said in a statement that Williams “exemplifies the very best of what the Tempo stand for” and that he is “honored” to have her involved with the franchise.

In 2026, the Tempo will initially use the 8,000-seat Coca-Cola Coliseum. The franchise will eventually have its own practice facility, but will train at the University of Toronto’s Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport until it is ready.

Last month, the franchise unveiled former Phoenix Mercury assistant general manager Monica Wright Rogers as its first general manger. Wright Rogers played in the WNBA for seven seasons after a decorated career at the University of Virginia.

In December, Ohanian, a fellow Virginia alumni, provided the Cavaliers women’s basketball team with the largest donation in program history. The multiyear gift, the university said, was the second largest gift to women’s athletics in UVA history.

In getting involved with the Tempo, Williams is also the latest retired professional athlete to get involved in a WNBA franchise’s ownership group. Magic Johnson, Dwyane Wade, Sue Bird, Alex Rodriguez, Tom Brady and Renee Montgomery are all part of various groups across the league.

What are the benefits of having Williams on board?

There is a long history of successful pro athletes investing in pro sports ownership and Williams has a history in the ownership space.

While Serena’s investment in the Tempo is likely small — the Tempo declined to comment when asked by about the percentage of her pending ownership stake — the benefits of having Williams part of ownership are massive, particularly from a media-centric and brand-building perspective.

One of the great athletes in global sports is now associated with the Toronto Tempo product and that will be referenced often on social media and legacy outlets whenever the team is mentioned. Williams can also help with potential high-end sponsors who might want to be part of a brand connected with Williams.

Finally, the Tempo has pitched itself not just as Toronto’s team but as the face of women’s basketball across the whole country of Canada. For that, you need to expand your brand beyond the greater Toronto area and the Serena Williams brand does that.

Today is a massive ‘W’ for one of the W’s newest franchises. —

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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