The list of celebrity owners in MLS keeps growing, with Nashville native and actor, producer and founder Reese Witherspoon and Tennessee Titans All-Pro running back Derrick Henry becoming the latest big names to join the ranks of the league's owners.
Here’s a rundown of some of the big names from the sports and entertainment worlds who are part of MLS ownership groups.
Matthew McConaughey
Austin FC joined MLS in 2021 with an ownership group that includes this Hollywood star whose catchphrase “alright, alright, alright” is immediately identifiable.
McConaughey also has the title of Minister of Culture, a role similar to one he holds at the University of Texas at Austin. McConaughey immediately started hyping up soccer's place in America.
Mark Ingram II
The three-time NFL Pro Bowl running back and Heisman Trophy winner joined the D.C. United ownership group in June 2021, saying "the club’s values have been on full display recently and they align with my beliefs."
The former Baltimore Raven and Houston Texan is in his second stint with the New Orleans Saints, his 11th season in the league.
Oscar De La Hoya
The renowned boxer joined the Houston Dynamo in 2008, buying a 25% stake in the club.
De La Hoya won 11 world titles in six weight classes during his boxing career.
James Harden
Harden joined the ownership group of the Houston Dynamo, Houston Dash and BBVA Stadium in July 2019 while playing for the NBA's Houston Rockets. The 2018 NBA MVP remains a big part of the Dynamo even after his blockbuster trade to the Brooklyn Nets earlier last year.
Will Ferrell
LAFC’s ownership group is diverse and expansive, though Will Ferrell is the most visible celebrity as an actor and comedian with key roles in “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” “Talladega Nights,” “Step Brothers” and more.
Mia Hamm & Nomar Garciaparra
One of American soccer's most iconic figures and an MLB veteran, Hamm and husband Garciaparra joined MLS as two of LAFC's many co-owners before the club's inaugural season.
Hamm is a two time World Cup winner and a two time Olympic gold medalist, and scored 158 goals for the US women's national team during her storied career. Garciaparra is a six-time All-Star and was the American League rookie of the year in 1997.
Magic Johnson
The NBA great added LAFC to his portfolio of sports teams when he joined the ownership group before the club's inaugural season.
Johnson is a five time NBA champion and won the NBA's MVP award three times during his playing career. He is also an Olympic gold medalist, winning the top prize with the US men's basketball team at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
David Beckham
There are few cultural icons with a greater reach than Beckham, an owner and president of soccer operations for Inter Miami CF, who entered the league in 2020.
His playing days with Manchester United, Real Madrid and the LA Galaxy sparked fame, and he remains instantly recognizable.
Derrick Henry
Tennessee Titans All-Pro running back Derrick Henry joined Nashville SC's ownership group before GEODIS Park, the largest soccer-specific stadium in the United States and Canada, opens May 1.
Henry is the fourth NFL player in history to own an MLS team, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes (Sporting Kansas City), running back Mark Ingram (D.C. United) and quarterback Russell Wilson (Seattle Sounders FC).
Reese Witherspoon
The Nashville native, actor, producer and founder and her husband, media and technology investor Jim Toth, became minority owners of Nashville SC, the club announced April 26.
Witherspoon has won an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. She was listed by Forbes as one of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2019.
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant's five-percent ownership stake in the Philadelphia Union means the two-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP now has a stake in MLS.
The current Brooklyn Nets star's deal could see him add an additional five percent ownership in the near future, building off the new community initiatives.
Dwyane Wade
Wade, a 13-time NBA All-Star, is part of the new Real Salt Lake ownership group headed by David Blitzer and Ryan Smith’s Smith Entertainment Group.
The point guard spent the majority of his 16-year NBA career with the Miami Heat and captured three NBA titles. He also has an ownership stake in the Utah Jazz alongside Smith.
Drew Carey
Known best for his long-running comedy series “The Drew Carey Show” and as the host of improv/sketch show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?, ”Carey brought Hollywood fame to the Seattle Sounders.
A co-owner of the two-time MLS Cup champions, Carey helped start the Alliance Council whereby fans vote on the general manager’s fate every four years.
Ken Griffey, Jr.
The retired baseball player and his family entered MLS in November 2020, obtaining a minority stake in the Seattle Sounders.
Griffey spent much of his career with the Seattle Mariners, and overall was a 13 time All Star in the MLB and won the American League MVP prize in 1997. The Mariners retired his number, 24, after his retirement.
Macklemore
The "Thrift Shop" artist and Seattle native was announced as a minority owner of the Sounders in August 2019.
Alongside partner Ryan Lewis, Macklemore is a four time Grammy winner.
Ciara and Russell Wilson
The Sounders announced in August 2019 that 11 new families were joining their ownership group, with husband Russell Wilson and wife Ciara among that contingent.
Wilson’s a seven-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl-winning quarterback for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, while Ciara’s a Grammy Award-winning musical artist.
Patrick Mahomes
Arguably the best quarterback in the NFL, a league MVP and a Super Bowl champion by age of 25, Mahomes can check off a box on his off-field resume with the news he has joined Sporting Kansas City's ownership group.
Mahomes' fiancée, Brittany Matthews, is a co-owner of Kansas City NWSL, while Mahomes is also part of the ownership group for MLB's Kansas City Royals.
Steve Nash
The former NBA pro and current coach of fellow MLS owners Durant and Harden in Brooklyn became a co-owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps when the club joined MLS in 2011.
The Vancouver native twice won the NBA's MVP award and was an eight time NBA All-Star before retiring in 2015.
