Heading into his second season in Washington, Bobby Wagner is still making history in his old home of Seattle and hoping to impact positive change.
Wagner, a Super Bowl champion and nine-time Pro Bowler with the Seattle Seahawks, is now a minority owner of the WNBA's Seattle Storm. He's the first active NFL player to acquire ownership in one of the league's franchises, according to the WNBA, and was enthusiastic about the venture beyond just the business side of things.
"I'm a minority owner of the Storm," Wagner said earlier this week, via the team website. "I'm really excited to be part of the 'W' and the WNBA. I think it's a great time. I'm really excited to be a part of the growth and to stay connected to a community that I still love."
Heading into his 14th NFL season, Wagner hasn't lost touch with his past.
A Los Angeles native, Wagner grew up rooting on Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. He's endeavoring to follow Bryant's lead in supporting and growing women's sports.
"Kobe was a really big part of me doing that," Wagner said. "I watched what Kobe was doing for women's basketball and for the WNBA. Me being a fan and me being somebody that watched him and watched some of the business moves that he made, this was something that was important to me because it's almost like trying to pick up where he left off. Obviously, I'm not him whatsoever but, you know, I could do my part."
The now-35-year-old Wagner was drafted 47th overall in 2012 by the Seahawks. As a rookie he started a streak of 100-plus-tackle seasons that's yet to cease, currently at 13 straight. During his time in the Emerald City, Wagner began his admiration for the Storm on and off the court.
"I watched them from afar playing in Seattle," Wagner said. "Obviously, what they were doing on the basketball court but the most impressive stuff for me was what they were doing off the court. All the initiative, all of the help. Anything in the community I would say they were the first to do it. I don't know if we said it enough, but they inspired our organization [the Seattle Seahawks] a lot, and so I'm really excited to be a part of an organization that has been inspiring me for a long time."
Wagner has been a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee in each of the last two years -- with the Seahawks in 2023 and the Commanders in 2024.
Inspired by Bryant, he's also been advised and inspired by another former Lakers all-time great, Magic Johnson.
Johnson, who's part of the Commanders ownership group, is also a minority owner in the WNBA's L.A. Sparks. Johnson offered his guidance and later his congratulations to Wagner before and after the ownership process.
"He's been a really big mentor of mine," Wagner said. "He's helped out so much, so he's definitely a guy I ran this idea across before I made the decision, and you know, he was a huge help because he's obviously done it, he's done it at a high level."
Having joined the Commanders ahead of the 2024 campaign, Wagner earned his 10th career Pro Bowl selection in Washington while aiding a franchise turnaround that concluded with an NFC Championship Game berth.
No doubt seeking more of the same in 2025, Wagner's likewise looking to do what he can to shape the future of women's sports.
"I think women's sports is amazing," Wagner said. "I have daughters. I have sisters. And it's important to really be a part of change, and I want to be on the right side of change so you know Kobe's legacy is something that I take a lot of pride in…him being somebody that I looked up to, it's only right for me to try to do my part and continue that legacy."
