Everybody in Cleveland wake up and say "Yeah!" Usher's coming to town to hoop it up.
The R&B superstar, who netted three trophies at last month's Grammy Awards, has acquired a minority stake in the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. Usher will be part of a new ownership group taking control of the team and day-to-day operations of the city's 20,000-seat Gund Arena.
"I will be involved on many levels with the community to make the Cleveland Cavaliers more of an all-American team," Usher said at a press conference at the venue on Tuesday. "I've performed here many times. I've adopted Gund Arena as my home. I have an apartment here."
The team would not disclose how big of a stake the 26-year-old singer has in the team or what he paid for it. But, according to fellow minority owner David Katzman, it was by no means a vanity purchase.
"Usher is a significant owner," Katzman said at the press conference. "He's not invested a small amount of money to say he's an owner so he can sit courtside. He wants to get very, very involved and incorporate this into his business portfolio."
A self-professed Cavaliers fan who calls Cleveland his "home away from home," the Confessions crooner says he's excited to help transform the once struggling franchise and its home court into a world-class entertainment destination.
"I hope to make the experience of the Cavaliers games one to remember for a lifetime. You will remember it and hope you come back several times," Usher said. "We plan on making the games as entertaining as possible. Any opportunity to make this establishment better, that's my job."
And having a Michael Jordan-esque superstar like LeBron James leading the team won't hurt. James did everything but call Usher his boo at the press conference.
"To have an icon in the music world come here and be a part of that is going to help us a lot," the Cav's point guard said. "I met him before, just briefly. I never got a chance to sit down and talk to him. Him being a part of this organization. I'm going to sit down and talk to him and just brainstorm."
Usher isn't first hip-hop figure to harbor hoop dreams.
Last July, St. Louis-based rapper Nelly bought a minority stake in the NBA's expansion Charlotte Bobcats, which began playing this season. And hip-hopster-turned-business mogul Jay-Z owns a percentage of the New Jersey Nets.
On the court, New Orleans rhymer Master P failed last year to make the cut for the Denver Nuggets summer league team after previously trying out for the Toronto Raptors and the Charlotte Hornets.