Former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry is nearing a deal to acquire a controlling stake in the North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League, according to a report from Sportico on Thursday.
Lasry, 64, is proposing to purchase 60 percent of the team from current owner Steve Malik, valuing the franchise at $108 million. He has already signed a non-binding letter of intent.
Last year, Sportico valued the Courage at $52 million, highlighting the significant increase in franchise valuations.
In related news, Willow Bay and her husband Bob Iger recently acquired a controlling interest in Angel City FC for $250 million, with the expansion fee for the club being just $2 million when it joined the league in 2022.
The Courage were established in 2017 when Malik purchased the Western New York Flash and moved them to Raleigh. The team secured NWSL championships in both 2018 and 2019.
Lasry sold his 25 percent stake in the Bucks last year and launched Avenue Sports Opportunities Fund, which made its first acquisition by purchasing the San Francisco franchise in TGL, a simulator golf league co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
Lasry co-founded Avenue Capital Management with his sister in 1995, starting with $7 million in seed funding. The firm now manages approximately $13 billion in assets, and Forbes estimates Lasry’s net worth at $1.9 billion.
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