Browns defensive end Myles Garrett's rare athleticism and outstanding performance has folks focusing on him as a 2023 Defensive Player of the Year candidate after seven weeks.
Those same physical gifts translate to the basketball court, where Garrett has been known to shatter a recreation center backboard from time to time. On Wednesday, Garrett broke through another boundary, investing some of the money made from his five-year, $125 million contract in a stake in the National Basketball Association's Cleveland Cavaliers.
Garrett purchased a minority stake in the Cavaliers, joining an ownership group led by Cavaliers chairman and governor Dan Gilbert, for whom Garrett will also serve as a brand ambassador.
"I have admired the Cavaliers organization's hard work, tenacity and dedication to the community since my early days in Cleveland," Garrett said in a statement released by the Cavs Wednesday. "To have the opportunity to join this impressive and purpose-filled franchise, under Dan's leadership, is truly a dream come true."
Garrett has participated in some cross-promotion with the Cavs in the past, even showing up to the team's Summer League game in 2022 in full uniform, participating in warmups with the squad and throwing down a two-handed dunk prior to the start of the game. He hasn't shied away from publicizing his basketball skills, famously destroying a backboard at a local gym, and had been seen participating in local rec league games prior to his unofficial retirement from pickup basketball under the guidance of the Browns.
Garrett has been a frequent attendee of Cavaliers games in the past, supporting the local team which once featured future Hall of Famer LeBron James -- a freakish athlete who has toyed with the thought of a football career in the past -- and currently includes young stars Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, among others. He'll have access to prime seating as a minority investor in a team that aims to build on its first playoff appearance since James' departure following the 2017-18 season.
