Reigning back-to-back NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has made a major move outside of basketball.
In a statement by Spanish soccer team Atletico Madrid, the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar is now part of its ownership group.
“Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has joined Atlético de Madrid’s ownership group,” the club announced. “The partnership is grounded in shared values: ambition, excellence and the belief that every result must be earned.”
Gilgeous-Alexander joins a long list of athletes and celebrities who have invested in a soccer team.
It’s unclear how much stake the one-time NBA champion bought. The club’s majority owner is Apollo Global Management, a United States-based management firm.
SGA’s Statement
In the same press release by Atletico Madrid, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander expressed his excitement in joining the club’s ownership group.
“I’m excited to officially join Atlético de Madrid’s ownership group,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “This is a club with a long-standing presence at the top of European football, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of its future.”
Atletico currently sits second in the La Liga table behind Barcelona and ahead of Real Madrid.
The Rojiblancos are 11-time La Liga champions, 10-time Copa del Rey winners and three-time UEFA Europa League champions. They have also made the Champions League final three times.
Their manager Diego Simeone has been in charge of the club since 2011.
Other NBA Stars Who Own Soccer Teams
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t the only NBA player who is part of a soccer team’s ownership group. He joins a long list that includes LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden, among others.
James famously bought a stake in English Premier League team Liverpool in 2011. He converted his share with Liverpool into an equity stake of Fenway Sports Group, which made him a minority owner of other sports teams like the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Durant, on the other hand, is part-owner of multiple teams like Paris Saint-Germain in France’s Ligue 1, Philadelphia Union of the MLS and NY/NJ Gotham FC of the NWSL.
Westbrook became a minority owner of Leeds United in England back in 2023 as part of 49ers Enterprises, alongside other NBA players like T.J. McConnell and Larry Nance Jr.
Harden invested in the Houston Dynamo of the MLS and Houston Dash of the NWSL.
Giannis is part of the ownership group of the Chelsea Women’s FC in England and Nashville SC in the MLS.
NBA legends Dwyane Wade, Magic Johnson and Steve Nash are also part-owners.
Wade and Johnson have stakes in MLS clubs Real Salt Lake and LAFC, respectively. Nash is a co-owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS and RCD Mallorca in Spain.
OKC Thunder Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Makes Major Move Outside of the NBA