Browns DE Myles Garrett joins Cleveland Cavaliers’ ownership group
Myles Garrett is making the jump to the NBA.
The Cleveland Browns defensive end officially purchased a minority stake in the Cleveland Cavaliers, the NBA team announced Wednesday. Garrett will also serve as a brand ambassador for the Cavaliers.
Welcome to the family, Myles.✨
LEARN MORE: https://t.co/H7LVh8BmHipic.twitter.com/KIldy3QYxG— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 25, 2023
“I have admired the Cavaliers organization’s hard work, tenacity and dedication to the community since my early days in Cleveland,” Garrett said in a statement. “To have this opportunity to join this impressive and purpose-filled franchise, under [owner Dan Gilbert’s] leadership, is truly a dream come true.”
Garrett was selected by the Browns with the No. 1 overall pick in 2017 out of Texas A&M. The four-time Pro Bowler has spent his entire career in Cleveland, and he was a nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2020. He also played in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game when the event was in Cleveland in 2021.
Garrett has recorded 22 tackles, 7.5 sacks and forced three fumbles this season. He had nine tackles and two sacks in the Browns' 39-38 win over the Indianapolis Colts last week, which brought the Browns to 4-2 on the season.
The 27-year-old signed a five-year, $125 million contract extension with the Browns in 2020 that keeps him with the franchise through 2026.
“As a leader on and off the field, Myles has become a Cleveland icon and shares in our organization’s commitment to being a transformative force for good across the region,” Gilbert said in a statement. “We are honored to welcome this long-time friend of the team as our new partner and investor. Myles’ passion and commitment to the city he loves will allow us to reach new communities and continue to build the successful future of this franchise.”
The news that Garrett was joining the ownership group came hours before the Cavaliers were set to kick off the 2023-24 season. The Cavaliers will take on the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night at the Barclays Center. They’ll host the Oklahoma City Thunder in their home opener Friday.
The Cavaliers went 51-31 last season. They made the playoffs for the first time since their stretch of four straight NBA Finals runs ended in 2018, though they were knocked out in the first round.
Garrett is the latest star in the sports world to join an ownership group in recent months. Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce joined an F1 ownership group earlier this month alongside golfer Rory McIlroy and boxer Anthony Joshua. Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook joined the Leeds United ownership group this past summer, too, alongside fellow NBA players Larry Nance Jr. and T.J. McConnell and golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
