Utah Jazz owner pays $12.2M for Atherton home

Ryan Sweeney, a minority owner of NBA team Utah Jazz and MLS club Real Salt Lake, bought an Atherton mansion that’s right next to another property he owns, The Real Deal has learned.

The home, at 39 Barry Lane, changed hands in a $12.2 million deal, according to a deed filed with San Mateo County. The property, which is located in a cul-de-sac in the Circus Club section of Atherton, sits on a 1-acre lot. It was first listed in June with an asking price of $13 million.

The sellers are Leslie and Linda Evans. The Evans family owned the home for the past six decades, according to a listing on Zillow.

The mansion is just adjacent to 53 Barry Lane, which Sweeney also owns. Sweeney and his wife Jennifer bought that property in 2014.

Sweeney, a partner at venture capital firm Accel, was named to this year’s Forbes Midas List of top tech investors. He was the first outside investor and board member in startups such as data company Qualtrics (which was acquired by SAP for $8 billion in 2018) and Australian software company Atlassian (once valued at $162 billion). He also invested in convenience store delivery service GoPuff, which is considering an IPO.

Sweeney is part of Smith Entertainment Group, a sports ownership group that includes former Miami Heat star Dwayne Wade and Qualtrics founder Ryan Smith. Smith and his wife Ashley bought a majority stake in the Utah Jazz in December 2020. At the time, Sweeney was announced as a minority owner. The Smith Entertainment Group bought Real Salt Lake for nearly $400 million in January. Sweeney could not be reached for comment.

Recent deals in the neighborhood include the $44.8 million sale of a 20,000-square-foot estate in Tuscaloosa Avenue and a $19.6 million deal for Larry Ellison’s former home on Isabella Avenue.