NBA two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joins Atlético de Madrid ownership group
The Oklahoma City Thunder guard was announced as a shareholder by the club on Thursday, 8 October, with the size of his stake and the amount invested both left undisclosed.
The announcement
Atlético de Madrid announced on Thursday, 8 October, that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has joined its ownership group, according to a statement on the club's official website. The club said the Oklahoma City Thunder guard identified with values such as ambition, excellence and the conviction that every achievement must be earned through effort. Neither the percentage of the stake nor the amount invested has been disclosed. According to sources with knowledge of the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity, he bought a small stake. The 28-year-old was pictured in an Atlético tracksuit ahead of the announcement.
Gilgeous-Alexander welcomed the move in his own words.
I'm excited to officially join Atlético de Madrid's ownership group. 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.
Club ownership background
Atlético has been majority owned by the American asset manager Apollo since 2025, when Apollo's investment valued the club at around €2 billion ($2.24 billion at current rates). El País reports that Apollo Sports Capital formalized its entry as majority shareholder on 12 March, after an agreement announced on 10 November 2025. The club then approved an 11-member board, five of them designated by Apollo, and former footballer David Villa joined it. A capital increase of up to €100 million was also approved, and the operation was ratified at an extraordinary general meeting held at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. Enrique Cerezo remains president and Miguel Ángel Gil is chief executive. Quantum Pacific Group, owned by Israel-British billionaire Idan Ofer, and Ares Management are minority shareholders.
- Agreement on Apollo's takeover of Atlético announced
- Apollo Sports Capital formalizes its entry as majority shareholder
- Club announces Gilgeous-Alexander has joined the ownership group
- Thunder open the official season against the San Antonio Spurs
Gilgeous-Alexander's career
Born in Toronto in 1998 and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, he spent one season at the University of Kentucky before turning professional. He joined the Thunder in 2019 after one season with the LA Clippers. He led Oklahoma City to the 2025 NBA title and was named Finals MVP, then won the regular-season MVP award in 2025 and again in 2026. During the 2025-26 season he averaged 31.1 points per game with 55.3% field-goal shooting, becoming the first perimeter player in NBA history to average at least 30 points with 55% or better accuracy. La Vanguardia adds that he posted four consecutive seasons above 30 points per game and 50% shooting, a combination only Michael Jordan had reached among perimeter players. The Thunder open the official season on 20 October against the San Antonio Spurs, which is 21 October in Spain, and he is currently in NBA preseason.
Other NBA stars in football
Gilgeous-Alexander follows several basketball players who hold stakes in soccer clubs. LeBron James became a minority shareholder at Liverpool in 2011. Kevin Durant invested in Paris Saint-Germain in July 2025, after taking a five per cent stake in Philadelphia Union in 2020 and becoming a minority owner of NY/NJ Gotham in 2022. Giannis Antetokounmpo joined the ownership group of Chelsea Women in February 2026.
