It is indeed a dream come true for the basketball stars. Every athlete has at least once dreamed of owning a team. Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady are living that dream now. Both NBA Hall of Famers have joined the ownership group of the Buffalo Bills. The excitement is high between the two. Carter, who is new to the scene, has also admitted to receiving guidance from a millionaire NBA All-Star.

During his interview with Front Office Sports, Carter was asked whether he had anyone to guide him. He named Grant Hill, who is himself a minority owner of the Atlanta Hawks. He shared how Grant, who is like a brother and friend to him, has been a part of this process, giving his advice right from the beginning.

“Grant’s been in a situation where he’s a good friend for a long time and right there in Atlanta….What better guy than him to ask?” Working through several endeavors, business deals and ownership stakes in Orlando City SC of Major League Soccer (MLS) and Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League, Grant is worth $250 million.

Speaking of one lesson he learned from Hill, Carter said the former inspired him to align his investments with his personal values and goals. Carter further explained how he has played football before, and it is through this experience that he wants to connect with the players. He believes the staff and the players will appreciate this bond. 

“Cause he’s (Grant) like, “You can go and invest money anywhere.” I think for him, he knew what he wanted to get out of his investment with the team, and how he wanted to use his time. And that’s kind of a blueprint that I use,” he shared. Terry Pegula announced the news that eight other people have joined the group. 

Pegula bought a stake in the team in 2014 and owns nearly 80%. The reason these two legends became a part of it is because of their ties to Toronto, which will help them build a connection with the audience as well.

Vince Carter talks about inspiration behind joining the team

To show their dedication to the team, new minority owners Carter, McGrady, and Jozy Altidore were present at the Bills’ matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. These three combine to own 3% of the stakes. Carter was also in attendance at some of the NFL League Meetings in March. Speaking about his newest venture, Carter praised Serena and Venus Williams for opening doors of opportunity to other athletes as well. Both became minority owners of the Miami Dolphins in 2009. 

When asked about his interest in owning a sports team, Carter explained that he wanted to own an NBA team. He even shared that he had a conversation with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on the same before COVID hit the world. While he didn’t have a team in his mind at the time, Carter was more pressed on buying the ownership stake. 

“I’ve had a couple of meetings with [NBA commissioner] Adam Silver expressing my interest prior to retiring and post-retirement. We had a nice sit-down a couple of times prior to COVID hitting. I just stressed the interest,” the former Orlando Magic star said.

And then, he finally found the opportunity with the Bills. Carter’s new move on the business side is yet again a step forward in empowering athletes.