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Kwanza Jones Is Set to Make MLB History in Record $3.9B Padres Sale
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Aug
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Married couples building businesses together is nothing new. But Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano are about to do something no husband-and-wife team in Major League Baseball history has done.
MLB owners unanimously approved the couple’s ownership group to take control of the San Diego Padres on Aug. 17 in a record $3.9 billion deal.
Once the transaction officially closes, Jones will become MLB’s first Black woman majority owner, while Puerto Rico-born Feliciano will become its first Puerto Rican majority owner. Feliciano will serve as the Padres’ control person under MLB rules.
Forbes values the transaction at $3.9 billion, making it the richest franchise sale in MLB history and easily surpassing the $2.4 billion Steve Cohen paid for the New York Mets in 2020.
Kwanza Jones: Key Facts
Born | Los Angeles, California |
Education | Princeton (B.A., ’93) · Cardozo School of Law (J.D.) · Pepperdine (Dispute Resolution) |
Before music | Miss Baltimore 1995 · Miss Maryland runner-up |
Music career | Recording artist since 2001 · Apollo Amateur Night winner (Princeton undergrad) |
Philanthropy | Co-founder/CEO, Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano Initiative · $200M+ committed |
Spouse | José E. Feliciano, co-founder, Clearlake Capital |
Padres deal | $3.9B — richest franchise sale in MLB history |
MLB milestone | First Black woman majority owner in MLB history |
Before MLB Ownership, There Was Princeton — and the Apollo
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Jones’ résumé makes the history even more compelling.
The Los Angeles native and Princeton graduate is an investor, entrepreneur, philanthropist and recording artist.
Princeton Alumni Weekly chronicled another piece of her story: Jones won Amateur Night at Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater while still an undergraduate, performing Jennifer Holliday’s “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.”
She graduated from Princeton in 1993 and was crowned Miss Baltimore in 1995, later finishing as first runner-up for Miss Maryland — one more stage she commanded before the Apollo turned her toward music full-time.
She was commanding stages long before she entered an MLB owner’s box.
And don’t tell the Cubs or White Sox, but I might be becoming a Padres fan. It’s not just because my Shattered Backboard Jordan 1s work surprisingly well with San Diego’s colors. It’s because of Kwanza Jones.
The Padres are a franchise whose biggest flex will always include Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn. Now their next chapter includes a different kind of history.
Why Kwanza Jones Making MLB History Matters
The deal also marks a transition from the Seidler family’s ownership era. Peter Seidler, who died in 2023, invested aggressively in the Padres and helped turn San Diego into a consistent contender, with four postseason appearances in six seasons.
Jones and Feliciano now inherit a franchise still chasing its first World Series championship.
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But Jones’ arrival reaches beyond baseball.
For little Black girls watching, ownership no longer has to be something that exists somewhere outside the frame. They can see a Black woman helping lead a multibillion-dollar professional sports franchise.
There is some Black girl magic in that story, but the accomplishment is bigger than a catchphrase.
This is ownership. This is access. This is possibility made visible.
The $3.9 billion makes history on paper. What Kwanza Jones could inspire next may be worth even more.
Related: Ranking the Best NBA Athletes’ Signature Sneakers Not Named Jordan
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