Denver Broncos reportedly sold to Walmart heir
Walmart heir Rob Walton has reportedly submitted the winning bid to purchase the Denver Broncos for roughly $4.5 billion. If finalized, this would be the most expensive purchase of an American sports franchise ever.
Walton is leading one of four groups that are expected to submit second-round bids for Denver's NFL franchise by this afternoon. The three other groups are led by Josh Harris, Jose E. Feliciano and Mat Ishbia, according to KUSA-TV's Mike Klis.
Walton, 77, has a net worth of $65 billion and is the 19th-richest person in the world, per Forbes. The Walmart fortune is so vast that his siblings, Alice and Jim, also are among the world's 20 richest people on Forbes' list of billionaires.
Second-round bids «haven't been submitted yet and therefore reports about one finalist emerging as a favorite are premature,» Parker Gabriel of USA TODAY Sports tweeted Monday morning.
Walton's proposed ownership team also includes his daughter, Carrie, and her husband, Greg Penner.
Forbes valued the Broncos at $3.75 billion in 2021, estimating it at No. 10 on the list of franchise valuation.
If the Walton sale goes through, Jim Walton would become the second NFL owner from the extended Walton family. Ann Walton Kroenke, who is Jim Walton's cousin, is married to Stan Kroenke, owner of the Los Angeles Rams.
