Stan Kroenke’s Denver Nuggets won the NBA Championship on Monday night, giving the Walmart heir-in-law his eighth championship as an owner, almost a ninth after Arsenal finished second in the English Premier League this past season, mathematically alive until the end of their 36th match out of 38.
“Kroenke’s run over the past few years has been unbelievable,” Cakes said on Wednesday’s Sports Junkies. “The Rams won the Super Bowl a couple years ago, the Avalanche were the defending Stanley Cup Champions until last night, and the Nuggets are now the reigning NBA Champions.
You would have to hope Josh Harris could have that same kind of success, because this run is remarkable.”
Indeed, Harris, the incoming owner of the Commanders, could be on a similar track, as his ownership has seen the Sixers and Devils rebuild into championship contenders and his EPL side, Crystal Palace, reached the FA Cup semis in 2021-22.
The NFL has set aside two dates later this summer for owners to ratify the sale of the Commanders, at which point Harris will become like Kroenke a three-sport majority owner…but how can he turn the Commanders back into NFL royalty?
“What’s the secret sauce?” EB asked. “Is Kroenke a guy that spends a boatload of money? Is he super-involved, or does he just hire the right people? They kind of luck-boxed into Jokic, a second-rounder that hit and became one of the greatest ever; give him credit for that, but it’s also extremely fortunate.”
“You have to get lucky to win all that in a few years’ time, but think about it: you have to put people in lace, so he’s obviously hired smart, competent people to run those three teams,” Bish replied.
Cakes isn’t sure how involved Kroenke can be just because he has stakes in so many teams (nine all told counting E-sports), but the fact remains that regardless of his level of involvement, the success is there, and it’s not the same blanket strategy.
“When the Rams won, they went all out, spending a boatload in free agency, and they just went off,” EB said. “And the Avalanche, when they won, were groomed. So he’s done it different ways.”
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“I think Rams fans realized it won us a Super Bowl, but it’s not sustainable, kind of a one-off,” Cakes replied.
“I don’t think you’re lucky if you’re winning it in different sports; it’s different it you’re winning one here or there, but to win three championships in three major sports in a short time?” Bish said. “He’s obviously putting good people in the right place to make decisions.”
Maybe, but EB also says that giving so much credit to an owner is tough, ‘because every owner thinks they’re hiring good people,’ but Cakes had an alternate take:
“It shows he has an acumen for running successful sports franchises, and you hope that’s what Josh Harris will bring to the Commanders.”
Listen to the Junks’ entire conversation about it above!
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