Aaron Rodgers becomes part-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks

The first home game of the playoffs is always going to bring a ton of excitement.

But when you can pair that excitement with the announcement that arguably the best player in the NFL has become a part-owner? Now that’s something special. And that’s exactly what the Milwaukee Bucks did Friday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, revealing over the loudspeaker that Green Bay Packers superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers has become a “limited partner” in the Bucks franchise.

“He’s a legendary player,” team owner Wes Edens said. “He would be the first athlete that’s currently active in the league that would own a piece of a major sports franchise.”

It’s a really cool move from Rodgers, especially considering he plays for a franchise owned by roughly 360,000 fans. The Packers, of course, are the only publicly owned team in the NFL. The announcement brought the home fans to a raucous standing ovation, and the Bucks, who came into the game down 0-2 in their series with the Celtics, led 58-35 at halftime.

Rodgers signed a five-year, $110-million contract three years ago. He will be up for a new contract — perhaps one of the richest per-year in football history — following the 2019 season.