Atlético de Madrid announced on October 8 that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has joined the club as an investor. The two-time reigning NBA MVP said he is grateful for the chance to “be part of its future.” The club didn’t disclose the size of the stake, the price, or whether he bought new or existing shares.

He joins the Apollo Sports Capital shareholder group, which agreed in November 2025 to buy roughly 55% of Atlético at a valuation of about €2.5 billion ($2.9 billion), and completed the acquisition in March 2026. CEO Miguel Ángel Gil, president Enrique Cerezo, Quantum Pacific Group and Ares Management funds remain shareholders alongside Apollo. Apollo’s $5 billion sports fund also owns stakes in the Mutua Madrid Open and the Miami Open, and agreed to a $2.6 billion financing deal with Yankee Global Enterprises.

Gilgeous-Alexander is Canadian, and Atlético already has Canadian ties with Atlético Ottawa, which joined the Canadian Premier League in 2020. Gilgeous-Alexander gives Atlético a name North American fans know, in a market where the club trails Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Shai was a fan first; the Thunder posted him arriving in Los Angeles wearing Atlético’s official tracksuit in April.

His 4-year, roughly $285 million extension with Oklahoma City, signed in July 2025, set the highest average annual salary in NBA history at the time, at more than $71 million per season. He follows LeBron James, who became a Liverpool minority owner through Fenway Sports Group in 2011, and Kevin Durant, who took a stake in PSG last year.

The Deal: Franklin Park Mall, the only enclosed shopping center in Toledo, Ohio area, signed 5 University of Toledo student-athletes to NIL deals through the Fanclub Sports agency, running from July to December 2024. The mall is the only enclosed shopping center in the Toledo area, and its shoppers were staying longer but visiting less often. Marketing manager Julie Sanderson aimed the campaign at tenants facing lease expirations or weak sales, then matched each athlete to stores that fit their style. One athlete called himself preppy, so he got J.Crew Factory, while another said: ‘Do not give me anything where I have to wear something other than sweats,’ so he got Foot Locker and Pacsun.

The Spend: The mall spent $3,900 in total. The NIL contracts cost $2,500, and the athletes received $1,400 in gift cards to the partner stores - roughly $780 per athlete.

The Result: Franklin Park Mall generated a 1,542% return, including $26,000 in direct sales tied to the athlete activations. JD Sports opened with athlete appearances and beat its first-month sales projection by $100,000, while Foot Locker, J.Crew Factory, and H&M all saw spikes in sales. The mall’s KixCon sneaker show drew 33,500 daily visitors, up 23% from the year before, and the athletes helped secure $7,500 in extra sponsorships. The mall’s Instagram following grew 54%, and the campaign won Gold at the 2025 ICSC MAXI Awards.

Why It Worked: Toledo has no pro team, so Rockets players are the biggest athletes in town. The mall sits 2 miles from a campus of 20,000 students and staff, and every athlete appearance was tied to a store with a lease decision or sales period already on the line. The athletes came in, shopped at and posted the stores which already aligned with their brand and how they dress, making the partnership natural for both the brand and athlete.

via ICSC

Maverick McKenna is a 16-year-old open-wheel driver from Park City, Utah. He started karting at 14, made his formula car debut at the French F4 season finale last fall, and finished 10th in his first race. In 2026 he raced a full season in the FFSA French F4 Championship, one of Europe’s main junior series on the path to F1.

At Magny-Cours in August, he became just the third American to win a French F4 race, and the first in 7 years. He closed the season at Circuit Paul Ricard last weekend with a 2nd and a 3rd, finishing 9th in the championship. He’s managed by The Grid Agency, run by Guillaume Le Goff, who also represents Pierre Gasly and Isack Hadjar.

Off the track, Maverick runs his career through McKenna Racing, LLC. His current partners include GoPro, Helly Hansen, Bell Racing, Ogio, Firefly Recovery and Feed Racing. He writes race recaps and travel stories on his own Substack and has built a pitch deck to take to potential investors.

His next step is Formula Regional, where a single season costs an estimated $1.7 million. He’s looking for brand partners for 2027, with packages that include on-car and race suit branding, social content, and paddock access and meet-and-greets at European race weekends.

Brands interested in backing Maverick ahead of his Formula Regional season can connect with him here!

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver LaQuon Treadwell has joined SweatLabs as a brand ambassador in a multi-year equity deal, put together through Athletes & Assets™.

SweatLabs is an infrared sauna company founded in San Francisco in 2023. It sells saunas in a range of sizes for homes, gyms, and wellness spaces.

Treadwell joins 2 athletes already partnered with the brand: Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman Storm Norton and New York City FC’s Keaton Parks.

The deal gives Treadwell an ownership stake in SweatLabs in return for representing the brand over multiple years. His return now depends on how the company grows.

Treadwell entered the NFL as a first-round pick in 2016, and recovery has been part of his job for a decade. He said investing in his body is one of the most important investments he can make, and that SweatLabs fits how he approaches performance and longevity on and off the field.

For SweatLabs, the structure means 3 pro athletes across the NFL and MLS now have a direct stake in the company’s success. Their incentive grows with the business.

Brands looking for athletes to bring on as partners can register here.