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          Commanders' Bobby Wagner becomes minority investor in WNBA's Storm

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          • John Keim, ESPN Staff WriterJul 24, 2025, 03:50 AM
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              John Keim covers the Washington Commanders for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2013 after a stint with the Washington Post. He started covering the team in 1994 for the Journal Newspapers and later for the Washington Examiner. He has authored/co-authored four books. You can also listen to him on 'The John Keim Report', which airs on ESPN Richmond radio.
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          ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner, who grew up in Los Angeles rooting for Kobe Bryant, wants to further what the Lakers legend once started when it comes to women's sports.

          Wagner was announced Wednesday as a minority investor in the WNBA's Seattle Storm, whose X post called him the "first active NFL player to have equity in a WNBA team."

          Wagner said he spoke with NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, a minority owner with the Commanders, before deciding to invest.

          "He's been a really big mentor of mine; he helped me out so much," Wagner said of Johnson, who posted his congratulations to X. "I ran this idea across [him] before I made the decision, and he was a huge help because, obviously, he's done it. He's done it at high level. So that's definitely somebody I lean into."

          Wagner said Bryant's legacy -- he coached his daughter's basketball teams and helped promote women's sports -- was a driving force in the decision.

          Wagner's former teammate in Seattle, Richard Sherman, once set up a meeting between Wagner and Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in 2020.

          "I watched what Kobe was doing for women's basketball and the WNBA and what he was trying to do," Wagner said. "This was something that was important to me because it's almost like trying to pick up where he left off. Obviously I'm not him whatsoever, but I could do my part. I think women's sports is amazing. I have daughters. I have sisters."

          Wagner said he has made other investments in women entrepreneurs and woman-led funds as well as a fund that is solely for women's sports, but this is his most public venture.

          He said he started talking to the Storm about five or six months ago. The fact that it was Seattle -- his NFL home from 2012 to 2021 and in 2023 -- also played a role, as he said the investment helps him stay connected to the city. Wagner won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks during that time and was named first-team All-Pro six times.

          Wagner said he often watched the Storm during his time in Seattle.

          "They inspired our organization a lot," Wagner said, "so I'm really excited to be a part of an organization that has been inspiring me for a long time."