From NBA Hardwood to LaLiga Lawns: The Yank Dream Team Behind Mallorca's Revival
A band of American sports icons – Steve Kerr, Steve Nash, Andy Kohlberg and Stu Holden – bought RCD Mallorca a decade ago for peanuts and hauled them from third-tier purgatory to LaLiga solidity, including a Copa del Rey final. Their shared elite athlete DNA transcends basketball, tennis and football, fuelling the club's revival. As Sid Lowe details, it's been relegations, promotions and pure graft – with island paradise as the backdrop.
Picture this: you're Steve Kerr, nine-time NBA champ and Golden State Warriors gaffer, chilling in sunny Phoenix. Your mate Andy Kohlberg, ex-Wimbledon semi-finalist turned tennis pro, rings up with an offer to buy into a Spanish football club on a paradise island. Right sport? Wrong. But who cares when it's RCD Mallorca?
As reported by Sid Lowe at ESPN Spain, this motley crew of sports stars – Kohlberg, two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, ex-US international Stu Holden (with Prem experience no less) and Kerr himself – snapped up Mallorca back in January 2016 for $23.86 million. Kohlberg’s now president and majority shareholder after buying out ex-Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver. What started as a punt on a 'gem' club languishing near the bottom of Segunda División has turned into one hell of a ride.
Rollercoaster to Respectability
These lads eyed up clubs in England's Championship – 'pretty pricey,' Nash reckoned – but Mallorca ticked all boxes. Island life for a million locals and 16 million tourists a year? Scope for growth off the pitch. On it? Two relegations, three promotions, dipping to the third tier before clawing back.
Now in their fifth LaLiga season, they've posted finishes of 16th, 9th, 15th and 10th. Pride peaked with a historic Copa del Rey final run in 2024 – gutting loss, but what a story. From chasing balls into swimming pools on day one of a third-division away day, to rubbing shoulders with the LaLiga elite. Nash nailed it: 'We'd never have dreamed of this.'
Kohlberg calls Sarver the 'driving force' back then. Today, they're back in Arizona, Kerr grinning as Camelback Mountain glows, chatting tennis smashes, hoops dunks and football goals. Proper connective tissue, as Nash puts it – sport's universal lingo.
Ballers Who Get the Beautiful Game
Don't let the basketball badges fool you; these guys know footy. Nash's first word? 'Goal.' Dad from Tottenham country, brother capped 35 times for Canada. Nash himself played properly till 13, could've gone pro reckons Holden – maybe a Pirlo-lite No. 6 with that vision, or a cheeky No. 10. 'Premier League? Hmm, Burnley at a push,' laughs the ex-Prem Yank.
Holden got the call from Nash: 'Fancy owning a European club?' Instant yes. Kerr? 'No-brainer,' despite the sport swap. Kohlberg bangs on about the 'winning mindset' linking McEnroe, Connors, Messi, Ronaldo, Curry and co. Individual tennis or team ball, elite athletes share it.
It's rubbed off. Mallorca's no longer a punchline; they're mid-table battlers eyeing European spots. Upcoming Mallorca vs Real Madrid on ESPN+? Tune in – these owners might just inspire an upset. From Suns courts to Balearic beaches, who've turned a sleeping giant into a scrapper. Pub fact: next time you're sinking pints, raise one to the Yanks who proved sport's borders are bollocks.