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Qatar and Abu Dhabi Are Interested in Buying NBA Teams

Mubadala and QIA said to be shopping for stakes in NBA teams
NBA recently relaxed ownership rules to allow wealth funds

Immanuel Quickley of the New York Knicks goes to the basket against the Utah Jazz during a at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 11.Photographer: Evan Yu/Getty Images

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By Ben Bartenstein, Giles Turner, and Dinesh Nair

February 16, 2023 at 3:50 PM UTC

Updated on

February 16, 2023 at 6:13 PM UTC

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Two of the world’s richest sovereign wealth funds are interested in buying minority stakes in National Basketball Association teams, according to people familiar with the matter, in the latest example of how oil money from the Persian Gulf is pumping up values in global sports.

Executives at Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Co. and Qatar Investment Authority have expressed their interest in NBA ownership and are actively hunting for a possible match, said the people, who requested anonymity as the discussions are private.