- Pending NHL approval, Melinda French Gates is joining the Seattle Kraken ownership group
- The billionaire philanthropist, worth an estimated $30 billion, slots in alongside majority owner Samantha Holloway and One Roof Sports & Entertainment
- Read below for more details on French Gates’ first pro sports stake, the Sonics connection, and what she said about the move
Melinda French Gates is jumping into hockey.
The Seattle Kraken and One Roof Sports & Entertainment announced Monday that the billionaire philanthropist is joining their ownership group as a minority investor, pending NHL approval. It’s her first ownership stake in a major professional sports franchise.
French Gates is worth roughly $30 billion, per Forbes. She joins minority partners David Wright, Andy Jassy and Jerry Bruckheimer alongside Kraken majority owner Samantha Holloway.
Asked by ESPN’s Emily Kaplan why she signed on, French Gates pointed straight at Holloway:
“I see this incredible opportunity that sports plays for a community to bring people together. When I met Samantha and learned about her leadership — her background in tech and the innovative way she approaches challenges — it felt like a natural fit for me.”
This isn’t only a Kraken move. One Roof Sports & Entertainment is the umbrella company that controls Climate Pledge Arena, the Kraken Community Iceplex in Northgate, the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds and Acrisure Arena, plus the new Memorial Stadium project at Seattle Center.
That portfolio matters because Holloway has been very public about wanting to bring NBA basketball back to Seattle. She has already hired investment banks to prepare a bid for an expansion franchise, and French Gates would slot in cleanly on that pitch.
Holloway welcomed her new partner in a statement Monday:
“I am excited to welcome Melinda to our ownership group. Melinda is an impressive business leader, philanthropist and importantly, a Seattle sports fan. We share many of the same values, including a deep commitment to Seattle and a belief in building organizations that create lasting impact.”
French Gates told Kaplan this felt like the right moment to step into pro sports ownership:
“It’s just time. What you’re seeing is a generation of women coming into their full power. I’ve walked into tough rooms, and being one of the few is very hard. Once we can create enough that we’re one of many, it just gets easier.”
The deal still needs NHL Board of Governors sign-off before it’s official. More Seattle Kraken coverage here.
