Kwanza Jones And José E. Feliciano Take Over The Padres In A Record $3.9 Billion Deal, Vowing To Win San Diego’s First World Series
Kwanza Jones is bringing a different kind of energy to Major League Baseball.
Jones and her husband, billionaire investor José E. Feliciano, made their first public appearance Monday as the new controlling owners of the San Diego Padres after completing a record-setting $3.9 billion purchase of the franchise. The deal represents the highest valuation for a team sale in MLB history.
Their message to San Diego was straightforward, they came to win.
“We need to win a World Series,” Feliciano said. “It’s that simple, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
But Jones’ arrival is drawing attention well beyond San Diego. The entrepreneur, philanthropist, investor and recording artist is being celebrated as the first Black woman to become a majority owner in Major League Baseball, while Feliciano becomes the league’s first Puerto Rican majority owner.
Kwanza Jones Brings Her Own Energy to Major League Baseball
The couple’s introductory news conference at Petco Park did not begin like a typical baseball ownership announcement.
Jones entered to “We All In,” an upbeat song she wrote and performed herself. A professional singer and Billboard-charting dance artist, Jones danced into the room before sitting alongside Feliciano.
“We’re absolutely committed to this organization, and we are absolutely overjoyed,” Jones said. “If you heard the lyrics in the song, we’re gonna win. We’re gonna win it all! We hope it’s sooner rather than later.”
The moment quickly attracted attention online, particularly among Black fans who saw Jones entering one of professional sports’ most exclusive ownership circles without toning down her personality or background.
Her résumé extends far beyond baseball.
Jones graduated from Princeton University, where she met Feliciano. She won Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater while in college and later became a Billboard-charting dance artist with multiple top-10 songs. She has also worked across law, business, investing and entrepreneurship.
Jones is founder and CEO of SUPERCHARGED by Kwanza Jones, a media and personal-development company focused on confidence, connection and community action.
A Record Deal With a Focus on Community
Jones and Feliciano have also built a significant philanthropic portfolio.
Through the Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano Initiative, the couple has committed more than $250 million toward education, entrepreneurship, equity and empowerment.
In 2020, they donated $20 million to Princeton University, which at the time was the largest gift in the school’s history from Black and Latino donors. Two university dormitories now carry their names.
Jones said the same emphasis on community will become part of their approach to the Padres.
“No one succeeds alone,” she said during Monday’s news conference.
“We’re not where we are without each other,” Jones continued. “We’re not where we are without the leadership, without baseball operations, without the players, without the city, without the community, without the fans, without the front office, the back office, without the reporters and the press and the media. We need each other.”
Jones said the couple intends to strengthen the Padres’ relationship with communities throughout San Diego and nearby Baja California.
“The Padres are one of the pillars of this city and this community,” Feliciano said. “We’re looking forward to engaging in many ways.”
Padres Ownership Says Winning Comes First
Jones and Feliciano inherit a Padres franchise experiencing one of its strongest stretches.
San Diego has reached the postseason four times in the past six seasons under general manager A.J. Preller, and the club recently surged back into playoff position after winning 21 of 28 games.
The Padres, however, have never won a World Series.
Feliciano said the new ownership group plans to continue the ambitious approach established by former owner Peter Seidler, who died in 2023 after spending aggressively to turn the Padres into contenders.
“We want to continue that legacy that Peter left — to dream big, to do the impossible,” Feliciano said.
The challenge is substantial. San Diego shares the National League West with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the back-to-back World Series champions whose financial resources have made them baseball’s dominant organization.
Feliciano said the Padres will remain willing to make aggressive investments while balancing them against the franchise’s long-term health.
“We want to win, and we’re going to continue supporting that goal in many different ways,” he said. “That means at some moments we’re going to be aggressive, but we’re always going to do it with the long-term health of the team in mind.”
For Jones, however, ownership already represents something larger than wins and losses.
Her entrance into one of the highest levels of American professional sports gives Major League Baseball a highly visible Black woman owner at a time when the sport has worked to broaden its connection with Black players and fans.
And if her first day was any indication, Jones does not plan to enter quietly.
“We are all in,” she said. “It’s not lip service.”
