Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić has partnered with e-commerce platform Shopify to launch 77x, his own direct-to-fan “universe” offering exclusive merchandise and collectibles, alongside content and live experiences for his fans.

Dončić’s chief business and brand officer and CEO of 77X and the Luka Dončić Foundation, Lara Beth Seager, said: “77X is Luka taking ownership of his brand and building directly with his fans.”

Dončić will be in control of its creative direction while owning the company’s intellectual property, and Shopify will provide the scalable infrastructure and flexibility needed to support 77X’s direct-to-consumer model.

The platform will use a proprietary membership and technology platform “Fan Pass” developed in-house specifically for 77X, but designed to be scaled for other athletes to use.

At its core, 77X positions Dončić into building infrastructure. Instead of a traditional athlete merch play, this direct-to-fan system combines platform, membership, content, commerce, and experiences under one owned umbrella.

That distinction matters; it means Luka will not be dependent on outside platforms to reach his audience, and each new initiative on the platform is an extension of the ecosystem. This kind of structure is designed for compounding, not one-off drops.

The direct-to-fan model also unlocks long-term optionality. With the owned Fan Pass and customer relationship, Luka can layer in limited releases, collectibles, digital content, live experiences, and future brand collaborations without rebuilding distribution each time.

In practical terms, Luka is not just selling to fans; he is building a system that can continuously serve fans across multiple verticals over time, as well as providing for other athletes in the future.

Padel might be the fastest growing sport in the world right now, and some of the biggest athletes in the world have already invested.

The Hexagon Cup, an 8 team tournament featuring the best Padel players from around the world, took place last week.

The athlete team owners include soccer legends Lionel Messi and Sergio "Kun" Agüero (Krü Padel), tennis star Andy Murray and boxer Anthony Joshua (AD/vantage team), Robert Lewandowski (RL9 team), F1 driver Pierre Gasly (10 Padel), and Rafael Nadal (Rafa Nadal Academy).

The inaugural tournament in 2024 saw AD/vantage take home the trophy, who doubled it last week, while Krü Padel won last year.

These athletes have caught drift of the rapid growth of Padel early on, which is currently dominating the European market. Looking forward to seeing how Padel and The Hexagon Cup expands in the next few years.

Noah here 👋🏻. I heard you guys were talking smack about San Francisco being boring during Super Bowl week, so we’ve come back to the West Coast to take matters into our own hands.

We are thrilled to host The Link with our friends at OneFluent & Pillar, the official link in bio for the New England Patriots. We’ll host an afternoon of great company and conversations with a select crew of athletes, creators, entrepreneurs, and investors.

For folks in town, feel free to request to attend.

Kairo is a science-backed mental training platform helping athletes visualize mastery, build confidence, and stay locked-in under pressure.

They combine sport psychology research with AI to deliver personalized, audio-guided visualizations that immerse athletes in real-world training and competition scenarios.

To chat with Chantha, James and team to learn about their helping athletes and professionals get ready to perform, please feel free to reach out.