There's a new Larry Legend in the NBA, sort of. There isn't much Larry Fitzgerald hasn't accomplished since being selected with the third-overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. He's not quite done racking up achievements either, having signed a one-year deal with the club to stay on and assist former first-round pick Kyler Murray and head coach Kliff Kingsbury -- the latter having pleaded with the still-productive 36-year-old to stay put.
While he awaits the beginning of offseason conditioning, you can find Fitzgerald sitting courtside at a Phoenix Suns game, which isn't unusual whatsoever when considering he does it often. What is out of the norm is the financial agreement he has now entered with the organization, purchasing a minority stake with the franchise.
Fitzgerald now joins Aaron Rodgers as the only active NFL players to become part owners of an NBA team, with Rodgers having a stake in the Milwaukee Bucks.
"It's an investment in something I have supported since I've been in Arizona," Fitzgerald said of the move, via Jim Trotter of NFL.com. "It gives me another connection in the community I love and always will live in. It's a long-term commitment I wanted to make for life after football."
It's this sort of forward thinking and attention to community that has helped Fitzgerald become the man he is today, having graduated from the University of Phoenix in 2016 to fulfill a promise to his mother, and then going on to become a spokesperson for the university. Between that and what he's meant to the Cardinals for 15 seasons, along with his list of charitable and philanthropical works, it's safe to say Fitzgerald is the platinum standard as an NFL player, a human being, and now a financial planner. After all, as he said, investing in the Suns is as much about love as it is making sure his family is secure once he hangs up his cleats for good.
Robert Sarver, Suns managing partner, actually made the offer to Fitzgerald two years ago -- the two having had a longstanding relationship since 2005 -- but it wasn't until the reality of an approaching NFL retirement woke him up to the idea.
Now, he's all-in.
"I had never really given it any thought before then," Fitzgerald said. "I asked him to give me a little bit of time to think about it and wrap my mind about it. I thought it was a unique opportunity because I hadn't heard of many other [athletes] doing it, but I wanted to really think about it because it's a substantial capital commitment. It's not something small."
No, it isn't small, but then again neither is the legacy Fitzgerald continues to build for himself -- particularly in the state of Arizona.
