Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Joins Atlético Madrid Ownership Group With Undisclosed Stake

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is now part-owner of a La Liga club. The Oklahoma City Thunder guard joined Atlético de Madrid's ownership group, the club announced this week.

Atlético has not said how large his stake is or how much he paid for it.

What the club said

"I'm excited to officially join Atlético de Madrid's ownership group," Gilgeous-Alexander said in the club's statement. "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."

The club described the partnership as "grounded in shared values: ambition, excellence and the belief that every result must be earned." It said his investment "reflects an interest in the club's long-term vision and international growth."

The link was visible before the paperwork. In April, the Thunder posted photos of him boarding the team plane in an Atlético tracksuit. He also attended a World Cup match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19.

The résumé Atlético is buying

Gilgeous-Alexander is a back-to-back NBA MVP, a 2025 NBA champion and the 2025 Finals MVP. The club's announcement says he averaged 31.1 points on 55.3 percent shooting in 2025-26. That made him the first guard in NBA history to average at least 30 points at 55 percent or better.

The club also says he extended his record streak of consecutive regular-season games with at least 20 points to 140, passing Wilt Chamberlain's mark of 126.

He is 28, born in Toronto and raised in Hamilton, Ontario.

An ownership table that has been reshuffled

He is buying into a club that looks very different from a year ago. Apollo Sports Capital, the sports investment arm of Apollo Global Management, agreed in November 2025 to become majority shareholder. The deal closed March 12, 2026.

Apollo took 55% of Atlético in a transaction valuing the club at €2.5 billion ($2.8 billion) including debt. Apollo's closing statement said Quantum Pacific Group kept almost all of its stake and is now the second-largest shareholder. Miguel Ángel Gil Marín and Enrique Cerezo remain shareholders and stay on as CEO and chairman.

Funds managed by Ares, which bought 34% of the club in 2021 for €181.9 million ($204 million), also stayed in.

Apollo's arrival has also coincided with a push abroad. Atlético has made inroads in the U.S. since the takeover and signed South Korean star Kang-In Lee to build its profile in Asia.

Not the first athlete to do this

Gilgeous-Alexander is the latest North American sports figure to buy into European soccer. LeBron James became a part-owner of Fenway Sports Group in 2021. That conglomerate owns the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool. Tom Brady is a minority owner of English second-tier club Birmingham.

Kevin Durant has been a minority owner of MLS side Philadelphia Union since 2020. He also acquired a stake in Paris Saint-Germain in 2024 through Arctos Sports Partners.

Athletes with big earnings and global followings are putting money into clubs whose owners want exactly that: international reach.

What is still open

The size of the stake is the obvious gap. Whether Gilgeous-Alexander bought in directly or through some vehicle tied to Apollo's group has not been stated. Nor has any role beyond being a shareholder.

Atlético, second in the La Liga standings, visits Alavés today, Oct. 10.