Who Owns the Milwaukee Bucks in 2026?

The Milwaukee Bucks are owned by a group of investors led by Wes Edens, Jimmy Haslam, and Dee Haslam, alongside hedge fund executive Jamie Dinan and former Bucks player Junior Bridgeman.

This partnership bought the franchise from longtime owner Herb Kohl in 2014 and has since built the team into a champion and one of the most valuable properties in the NBA.

Since that purchase, the ownership group has changed shape more than once.

Marc Lasry, who originally partnered with Edens to buy the team, sold his full stake to the Haslam family in a deal valuing the club near 3.5 billion dollars.

Junior Bridgeman later joined as an owner in 2024, and Aaron Rodgers holds a small piece as well.

Below is a complete look at who controls the Bucks today, how the group formed, and what the franchise is worth heading into the 2026 season.

Team	Milwaukee Bucks
League	National Basketball Association
Controlling Owners	Wes Edens, Jimmy Haslam, Dee Haslam
Other Key Owners	Jamie Dinan, Junior Bridgeman, Aaron Rodgers
Purchased From	Herb Kohl, 2014, for 550 million dollars
Forbes Valuation 2025	4.3 billion dollars, rank 21 of 30 NBA teams
Home Arena	Fiserv Forum, opened 2018

Wes Edens: The Controlling Owner and Fortress Founder

Wes Edens is widely viewed as the lead figure among Bucks owners.

He cofounded Fortress Investment Group, one of the largest alternative asset managers in the world, and used that fortune to buy the Bucks with Marc Lasry in 2014.

Edens pushed hard for a new arena, and Fiserv Forum opened in 2018, replacing the aging Bradley Center and giving the franchise a modern home that helped it compete financially with bigger markets.

Under Edens, the Bucks won the 2021 NBA championship, their first title since 1971.

Edens currently serves as the team NBA Governor, the formal representative who votes on league matters, and reports indicate he will hold that role until roughly 2028, when the Haslam family is expected to take a turn in that seat.

Jimmy and Dee Haslam: Expanding a Multi Sport Empire

Jimmy and Dee Haslam already owned the Cleveland Browns and Columbus Crew before adding the Bucks to their portfolio.

In February 2023, reports surfaced that Marc Lasry had agreed to sell his stake to the Haslam family at a valuation near 3.5 billion dollars, according to ESPN.

The move gave the couple a stake in the NFL, MLS, and NBA at once, an unusual footprint for American sports ownership.

Because Lasry no longer holds a stake, Edens now stands as the only owner remaining from the original 2014 buyer group who still runs the club day to day.

The Haslam family brings deep pockets and league relationships from their years running the Browns, and many expect them to grow their influence in Milwaukee over time.

Jamie Dinan and the Original 2014 Investor Group

Jamie Dinan founded York Capital Management and joined Edens and Lasry as part of the group that purchased the Bucks from Herb Kohl.

Dinan has kept a lower public profile than Edens, but he remains one of the largest individual stakeholders in the franchise.

The original purchase also included a set of Milwaukee based investors, among them Ted Kellner, Jim Kacmarcik, Craig Karmazin, and Keith Mardak, whose local roots helped the new owners build trust in the community after Kohl departed.

That local investor structure mattered politically as well.

The 2014 sale came with a public commitment to keep the team in Milwaukee and to fund a new arena rather than threaten a relocation, a pledge that shaped how fans viewed the new ownership group from the start.

Junior Bridgeman: From Bucks Player to Team Owner

Junior Bridgeman played for the Bucks in the 1970s and 1980s before building a business empire that included hundreds of restaurant franchises.

In September 2024, Bridgeman purchased a 10 percent ownership stake in the Bucks, making him the largest Black owner in NBA history by percentage at the time of the deal.

His path from locker room to ownership suite is one of the more notable stories in modern sports business.

Bridgeman rarely speaks publicly about team strategy, but his presence signals a franchise that values continuity and community ties over pure outside capital.

Alongside Bridgeman, quarterback Aaron Rodgers owns roughly 1 percent of the club, a stake he bought in 2017 that predates his later NFL career moves.

How the Bucks Ownership Group Formed in 2014

Herb Kohl, a former United States Senator from Wisconsin, owned the Bucks for nearly three decades before agreeing to sell majority control to Edens and Lasry in April 2014 for 550 million dollars.

The NBA Board of Governors approved the sale that May.

Kohl retained a minority piece and set conditions meant to protect the franchise from leaving Wisconsin, a real concern at the time given the team age arena situation.

Is Wes Edens A Good Owner

Fans generally rate Edens as an active and successful owner.

He backed a new arena, kept payroll high enough to support a championship run, and pushed the front office to trade for Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard when the roster needed help.

That aggressive approach worked in 2021 but also drained future draft capital, leaving the Bucks without first round picks in 2027 or 2029.

Critics point out that the front office let the roster age around Giannis Antetokounmpo without a clear plan for what came next, which contributed to the pressure that led to his trade in 2026.

Even so, most observers separate Edens the business owner, whose franchise value has grown roughly eight times over since 2014, from Edens the basketball decision maker, whose recent moves have drawn more scrutiny.

According to Wikipedia, the franchise remains one of the most financially stable teams in the league under his leadership.

Are the Bucks For Sale In 2026

The Milwaukee Bucks are not for sale as a full franchise in 2026.

The current group, led by Edens and the Haslams, has shown no public interest in a total exit, and the NBA has not listed the team among clubs rumored to be shopping for a new majority buyer.

What has changed is the makeup of the ownership group itself, since individual partners have sold or added stakes twice in the past few years.

That kind of partial stake movement is common across the NBA now that franchise values have climbed so quickly.

Owners who bought in a decade ago often want liquidity, while newer buyers like the Haslams see a chance to diversify into a fast growing asset class.

Expect more minority stake sales in Milwaukee before anyone sees a full sale, similar to patterns covered in our look at who owns the NFL.

The Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade and What It Means for Ownership

On the eve of the 2026 NBA Draft, the Bucks traded Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat, ending his tenure as the face of the franchise.

Milwaukee received Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis, the number 13 pick, a 2030 first round pick swap, first round picks in 2031 and 2033, and a 2033 second round pick in return, according to reports from national NBA insiders.

For ownership, the trade marks the start of a new era rather than a financial crisis.

The Bucks still hold one of the higher local television and arena revenue bases in the league, and a rebuild does not typically hurt franchise value the way it might have decades ago, since national media money and real estate around Fiserv Forum keep the business side healthy regardless of win totals.

Milwaukee Bucks Valuation and Financial Growth

Forbes placed the Bucks at 4.3 billion dollars in its most recent NBA valuations, good for 21st among the 30 teams in the league, based on figures reported by Forbes.

That number represents roughly eight times what Edens and Lasry paid Herb Kohl in 2014, a return that ranks among the strongest in professional sports over that span.

Growth came from several sources at once, including the new arena, a national television deal that lifted every team payout, and a championship run that raised the global profile of the club.

Investors who bought minority pieces along the way, including Bridgeman and Rodgers, now hold stakes worth far more than their purchase price, a pattern seen across the league and detailed in our review of who owns the Baltimore Orioles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the majority owner of the Milwaukee Bucks?

No single person owns a full majority.

Wes Edens, Jimmy Haslam, and Dee Haslam function as the controlling group and share the largest combined stake, with Edens serving as the current NBA Governor.

Did Marc Lasry sell his entire stake in the Bucks?

Yes.

Lasry agreed to sell his full ownership stake to Jimmy and Dee Haslam in a deal reported in February 2023, valuing the franchise near 3.5 billion dollars at the time.

How much are the Milwaukee Bucks worth in 2026?

Forbes valued the Bucks at 4.3 billion dollars in its most recent NBA team valuations, placing the club 21st among the 30 franchises in the league.

Does Aaron Rodgers still own part of the Bucks?

Yes.

Rodgers purchased a small ownership stake, reported at around 1 percent, in 2017 and has kept that piece of the franchise through his later NFL career.