{"id":462492,"date":"2026-02-08T21:38:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T21:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/462492\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T21:38:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T21:38:09","slug":"nba-megastar-becomes-latest-high-profile-soccer-team-owner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/462492\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Megastar Becomes Latest High-Profile Soccer Team Owner"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6o\">NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo announced he\u2019s joined the ownership group of Chelsea Women with the goals of supporting women\u2019s sport and \u201cpushing the game to new heights.\u201d <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6r\">The 2021 NBA finals MVP joins friend and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in the club\u2019s ownership group. The latter purchased a 10% stake in the eight-time Women\u2019s Super League (WSL) champions last year for around \u00a320 million ($27.2 million).<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6u\">How much Antetokounmpo paid to invest in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/soccer\/womens\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Chelsea Women<\/a> and the size of his stake has yet to be confirmed, but the Milwaukee Bucks forward did pen a message on social media to announce his head-turning new venture. <\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I&#8217;m proud and honored to partner with my friend <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/alexisohanian?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@alexisohanian<\/a>, joining the ownership group of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChelseaFCW?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@ChelseaFCW<\/a>, a historic club built on passion, excellence, and a winning culture. Chelsea\u2019s history speaks for itself, and I\u2019m excited to contribute to the future by supporting\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LEzNakL9Rd\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/LEzNakL9Rd<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Giannis_An34\/status\/2020305708369985575?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">February 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"70\">\u201cI\u2019m proud and honored to partner with my friend Alexis Ohanian, joining the ownership group of\u00a0 Chelsea Women, a historic club built on passion, excellence and a winning culture,\u201d Antetokounmpo said on X.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"73\">\u201cChelsea\u2019s history speaks for itself, and I\u2019m excited to contribute to the future by supporting continued growth and impact in women\u2019s sport. This is about ambition, legacy and pushing the game to new heights. Up the Chels!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Antetokounmpo No Stranger to Soccer Ownership<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/01kgz42y1j7ec6qv538p.jpg\" alt=\"Giannis Antetokounmpo\" title=\"Giannis Antetokounmpo\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"7k\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Giannis Antetokounmpo (center) is one of many big-name investors in MLS clubs. | Tim Nwachukwu\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7o\">Antetokounmpo\u2019s investment in Chelsea Women is not the 31-year-old\u2019s first venture into the soccer world. Back in 2023, the NBA champion, along with his brothers Thanasis, Kostas and Alex, joined <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/soccer\/team\/nashville-sc\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nashville SC<\/a>\u2019s ownership group. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7r\">When he completed the deal, Antetokounmpo couldn\u2019t help but wax lyrical on his connection to the game. \u201cMy father was a professional soccer player, and it was the first sport I fell in love with in Greece. I\u2019ve always had the dream of owning a soccer team.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7u\">Antetokounmpo made that dream come true with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/soccer\/mls\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">MLS<\/a> outfit, and now three years later, he\u2019s added Chelsea Women to his diverse portfolio. Ohanian publicly welcomed his friend to the club\u2019s ownership group with an old picture of the two-time NBA MVP in the dressing room at Stamford Bridge. <\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Welcome home my friend! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ylGZrWXD8d\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/t.co\/ylGZrWXD8d<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uw4Bj0uqje\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/uw4Bj0uqje<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Alexis Ohanian \ud83d\uddfd (@alexisohanian) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/alexisohanian\/status\/2020311248873889805?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">February 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"80\">Antetokounmpo now gets to root for the reigning WSL champions, who currently sit third in the table, 12 points off league-leaders Manchester City. The team\u2019s next match comes on Feb. 15, when they host a struggling Liverpool side.<\/p>\n<p>Antetokounmpo One of Many U.S.-Based Stars Investing in European Soccer<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/01kgz5715v6mb61wb3p8.jpg\" alt=\"LeBron James\" title=\"LeBron James\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"8e\"\/><\/p>\n<p>LeBron James invested in Liverpool back in 2011. | Andrew Powell\/Liverpool FC\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-18\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8i\">The standard for big names investing in clubs across Europe was set by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney back in 2021. The two Hollywood stars purchased <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/soccer\/team\/wrexham-afc\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Wrexham<\/a>, the oldest team in Wales, and have since taken the Red Dragons from National League purgatory to the EFL Championship, where they are eyeing a record fourth-consecutive promotion to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/soccer\/premier-league\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Premier League<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-19\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8l\">Two years later, seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady acquired a minority stake in English outfit Birmingham City. The Blues were crowned EFL League One champions last season and returned to the Championship in 2025\u201326.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-21\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8r\">Four-time NBA champion LeBron James may very well have started the trend, though, back in 2011 when he invested in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/soccer\/team\/liverpool\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Liverpool<\/a>. Fellow NBA phenom Kevin Durant is also a minority shareholder of reigning French and European champions Paris Saint-Germain.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-22\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8u\">Antetokounmpo will hope to emulate the success of his fellow athletes and owners with Chelsea Women, while Nashville SC gear up for the rapidly approaching 2026 MLS season. <\/p>\n<p>READ THE LATEST SOCCER NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MATCH REACTION<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo announced he\u2019s joined the ownership group of Chelsea Women with the goals of supporting&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":462493,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":[49,48,561,82],"class_list":["post-462492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=462492"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462492\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/462493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=462492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=462492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=462492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}