Can We Get a Rivalry! Jay-Z's Nets vs. Will Smith's 76ers, Anyone?

Actor and wife Jada Pinkett Smith snatch up a minority stake in his hometown team

By Natalie Finn Oct 18, 2011 11:05 PMTags
Will SmithTim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

If the NBA ever gets up and running again, look for those East Coast arenas to be more star-studded than ever.

Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith took a time-out from the breakup rumors to team up with a group of investors to buy the financially troubled Philadelphia 76ers, Smith's hometown team.

"In West Philadelphia, born and raised," was how the tune went, if we recall The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air correctly.

The Smiths joined  a group headed up by New York billionaire Joshua Harris that forked over a pretty penny for the team

"My partners and I are thrilled to have become owners of the Sixers," Harris said in a statement released by the team Tuesday. "It is an honor to become part of this storied franchise. We have a lot of work to do, but we have a rich history, a strong foundation and a bright future."

Mr. and Mrs. Smith haven't commented on the deal yet, but 76ers guard Evan Turner tweeted: "think it's dope that the fresh prince is one of our new owners. Maybe willow can perform at halftime."

Actually, we were thinking more along the lines of a duet between Willow's dad and Jay-Z, who owns a minority stake in the New Jersey Nets, when their teams face off.

But now all that time Smith spent with Marc Anthony, who owns a piece of the Miami Dolphins, makes sense: They must have been talking business!