Each NBA owner charted a different path to achieve enough fortune to buy a franchise. But five of those owners all have at least one thing in common (aside from having deep pockets): They hail from the state of Michigan.
Steve Ballmer (Los Angeles Clippers), Dan Gilbert (Cleveland Cavaliers), Dan DeVos (Orlando Magic), Mat Ishbia (Phoenix Suns) and Tom Gores (Detroit Pistons) are among businessmen who can appreciate National Michigan Day, which is celebrated annually on Jan. 18.
No U.S. state has produced more current controlling NBA owners than Michigan. But why? Is it mere coincidence or indicative of something else being brewed in the Wolverine state?
“It’s probably coincidence, but it is true that we do like basketball here,” DeVos, a Grand Rapids, Mich., native, told Sportico in an email. “And looking back 30, 40 years ago—you can see why with the Magic Johnson-led Spartans, the Bad Boy Pistons, the Fab Five Wolverines and on. Those formative years for many featured a great basketball environment and we’ve been blessed to have that continue on in the years that followed.”
Gilbert, a Southfield, Mich., native who co-founded retail lender company Rocket Mortgage, isn’t completely convinced the league having five owners from Michigan is a mere coincidence, especially given the level of local fandom. He notes the intense college rivalries and robust grassroots circuit.
“You don’t have to look any further than the excitement around town from the University of Michigan’s recent national championship or the Detroit Lions’ playoff run,” he told Sportico in an email. “From a young age, kids are raised to celebrate and support the home teams here, and I can’t help but think that maybe a few of those young kids in Michigan grew up with the dream of owning a professional sports team one day. Every path might not lead to team ownership, but I don’t think it’s entirely a coincidence either.”
Ballmer, who grew up in Farmington Hills, Mich., is by far the richest of the Michigan owner quintet due to his time as Microsoft CEO. He’s putting the finishing touches on his new arena, the Intuit Dome, which was awarded the 2026 NBA All-Star Game earlier this week. His determination to no longer be second fiddle to the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena speaks to his personal drive but perhaps his roots as well.
“We’re known as the place where things are built, the birthplace of the assembly line,” DeVos said. “Yet we’re also the place with more freshwater coastline than anywhere else in the nation. The place with an Upper Peninsula of largely untouched land. Being innovative and adventurous is certainly a part of being entrepreneurial, and the owners who grew up here largely found success in that realm.”
Ishbia, a Birmingham, Mich., native and CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage, particularly epitomizes the basketball-crazed entrepreneur. The youngest principal owner in the NBA at 44 was a member of the 2000 Michigan State national championship team coached by Tom Izzo. Ishbia, a former Spartans walk-on who purchased the Suns for a record $4 billion last year, joined Gores and Gilbert as Michigan State alumni who became controlling team owners. Ishbia also owns the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and calls former Pistons great Isiah Thomas a friend.
Meanwhile, Gores, a Flint, Mich., native and founder of private equity firm Platinum Equity, has been a topic of conversation with the Pistons amid one of the worst seasons in NBA history. Many frustrated fans have called for him to sell the team, but he told reporters last month it’s not happening despite disappointing results under head coach Monty Williams, who has one of the NBA’s most lucrative deals.
Gores, Ballmer, Gilbert, DeVos and Ishbia are among other principal sports owners in other major leagues from Michigan. The list extends to Stephen Ross (Miami Dolphins) and Christopher Ilitch (Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers).
Then there’s Detroit Lions chairwoman Sheila Ford Hamp and her family who, of course, have deep ties to Detroit with their control over Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F). The auto manufacturer was founded there and is now headquartered in Dearborn, Mich.
“I have found that people from Detroit—and really the whole Midwest—have a strong sense of grit, determination and work ethic,” Gilbert said. “Detroiters and Clevelanders, too, have an overwhelming amount of pride in our work and our community. That passion helps others see the vision and builds believers who want to come along for the ride.”
