Lawrence Taylor and Ray Lewis will be well-versed in the use of the cesta and pelota as new owners of a jai-alai team.
Aaron Gilbert

NFL Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor and Ray Lewis have teamed up to become co-owners of a World Jai-Alai League team. The duo, both linebackers in their football heydays, will lead the WJAL’s Warriors franchise, according to an announcement the league will make Tuesday.

The two-year old league has revived the fast-paced sport that originated in the Basque region of Spain and was regionally popular in Florida and Connecticut during the height of “LT’s” Giants career in the mid-1980s. Taylor and Lewis will operate the Warriors starting with the league’s new season, which launches with a player draft in February. The current jai-alai season concludes Friday. The league currently consists of five teams who play in Miami, where jai-alai courts known as frontons are located.

“Getting into the league this year has been a wild ride, and I’m itching to dive in and lead our brand-new squad to the championship alongside the legendary LT,” Lewis said by email. “The World Jai-Alai League is on fire right now, and we’re riding that wave of growth with pure excitement for what lies ahead in the world of jai-alai. It’s not just about games; it’s about the thrill of competition, the camaraderie and shaping the future of this sport we love.”

The two football legends add some more luster to the jai-alai league’s growing roster of owners and associates. NBA veteran Udonis Haslem bought the Rebote Renegades franchise in August, while other investors and ambassadors associated with the league include singer Pitbull (Armando Christian Perez), retired UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal, Olympic tennis gold medalist Monica Puig and tennis pro Eugenie Bouchard. Lewis previously joined the Miami-based jai-alai league in March as a director on its board.

“I never imagined owning a jai-alai team, but spending time at the fronton has motivated me to take the leap from being a fan to leading our team to a championship,” said Taylor by email. “Along with Ray, I look forward to embracing a fresh challenge, bonding with our team and leaving our mark in the jai-alai world. I’ve always been driven by competition, and being part of the league is a whole new level.”

The purchase price for the franchise isn’t being disclosed by the league, which has previously sold one-year ownership roles for $100,000 to investors interested in trying their hand at running a pro sports franchise. The league is majority owned by the Havenick family of Miami, former casino owners and University of Miami boosters.

The World Jai-Alai League has had lots of social media success, gathering fans on TikTok and Instagram and helping to popularize free streams of matches broadcast on ESPN+. Like prior iterations of jai-alai, the sport is available for sports betting action, too, currently on DraftKings and BetRivers for wagering in 16 states.

“We’re seeing a lot of people sitting up and take taking notice of us,” WJAL chief operating officer Scott Savin said in an October phone call. “We’re very proud of what we’ve done, and where we think we’re going.”