Did Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith own a stake in Sixers? Closer look at their links in Joshua Harris' 2011 takeover worth $290 million

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have continued to make headlines recently after Pinkett revealed that Chris Rock actually asked her out amid rumors of her and Will Smith's divorce.

While the situation revolved around the entertainment industry, NBA fans have now taken note, given that Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have close ties to the Philadelphia 76ers.

After spending years representing West Philadelphia on 'The Fresh Prince of Bel Air', Will Smith actually wound up taking a minority stake in the 76ers. Back in 2011, he and his wife, Jada, joined an ownership group that took control of the franchise.

Although the situation didn't see Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith take a controlling share of the franchise, they were among the most notable names in the group. Back in 2011, a statement from The Associated Press shared information about the purchase.

At the time, business mogul Joshua Harris led the $290 million purchase, bringing an end to the 15 years of ownership under the Comcast-Spectacor umbrella.

As part of the new group, both Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith joined the likes of David Blitzer, Art Wrubel, and former NBA agent Jason Levien in ownership.

What has Will Smith said about NBA ownership following the Philadelphia 76ers deal?

Much like in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Will Smith is actually from Philadelphia. As such, diving into ownership of his hometown franchise came naturally to him.

As an avid fan of American sports, including the NBA and the NFL, Smith was thrilled to jump into ownership.

Several years after making the leap and becoming a minority owner in the franchise, he spoke with talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel to discuss the situation. As he explained at the time, he had actually visited with the team prior to the start of the 2015-16 season, showing he's an involved owner.

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"There is nothing, in like all of entertainment, than to walk into the building when it's announced that you're a part owner of your hometown basketball team. That is ridiculous. If the team doesn't win, it sucks later. ... I live in L.A. though so it's cool. I go home [to Philly] when we winning."

While Smith has kept a much lower profile these days in the wake of his incident with Chris Rock, he remains one of the most notable NBA owners. With Michael Jordan now out of the picture, Smith has once again moved up on the list of most recognizable NBA owners.