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These days it is not always enough for top sporting personalities to dominate their field and deliver for sports bettors – some of them go on to become entrepreneurs, investors and company owners.
This is a sea change from athletes simply being extensions of the leagues or franchises they represent. Nor are they simply content with just being clothes horses for big sports apparel brands once their playing careers come to an end. Especially in the US, the caliber of athlete that people use their online NBA and NFL betting deals on are famous for investing in everything from big tech firms, all the way through to fast food franchises.
However, one other investment type that is becoming a serious trend among cash rich athletes is that of esports investment, with an increasingly number of them being banked by the week. While traditional pro athletes do their best to deliver for their fans – and sports bettors who backed them at the bookies – some are now getting involved with esports by becoming famous financial backers.
Here are just some of the top sports stars who are investing heavily into the world of esports, as they go about trying to reach the pinnacle of both traditional sports in the real world, and on the virtual stage in esports.
As a brief example, a couple of years ago, esports and gaming organisation FaZe Clan announced high school basketball recruit LeBron ‘Bronny’ James Jr (pictured above) had joined their organisation. And David Beckham is a well-known sports celeb involved in esports (specifically, Guild Esports).
Steph Curry
While many of the NBA’s biggest esports investors tend to be those retired players with a little more time on their hands, there are some current ballers like Steph Curry who somehow find the time to hit multiple games at night and get major business deals pushed through during the day.
This Golden State Warrior has a wide ranging business and investment portfolio, but esports are an integral part of it. Alongside other NBA pros like Andre Igoudala, he is pouring funds into esports outfit TSM, who are in the midst of expanding their operations, as the esports industry continues to boom. Another former athlete who was involved in this investment was ex-NFL quarterback Steve Young, who appears to be hanging on to the coattails of young upstarts like Curry and Igoudala.
Kevin Durant
Another NBA veteran making serious moves off the court is Kevin Durant, laying the foundations for a lucrative life after basketball.
His first main venture into the world of esports came in 2021, when he invested in Andbox, an esports organisation that operates a number of esports teams. They do battle in some of the video games that Durant himself loves to compete in during his downtime.
Of course, an NBA player does not just bring capital to the table when they make an investment, as they are also able to offer their time and social media clout to promote whatever company they align themselves with. As a result, Andbox are hoping to go from strength-to-strength.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
This towering football striker was once the toast of the MLS, having lit up Los Angeles with the LA Galaxy. He is now back in Europe, trying to help AC Milan win the Serie A title in Italy. Away from football, Zlatan continues to grow his unique brand, which is a key component of why so many companies wish to partner with him.
One of those organisations is Challengermode, a platform that tries to make the esports world more accessible to those folks who are new to the scene. Once again, Zlatan brings so much more to the table than mere money – his own personal brand is capable of taking companies like Challengermode to the next level.
Taylor Fritz
Being ranked number 13 in the world at tennis is a sure-fire way to have companies and brands knocking your door down trying to work with you.
Fritz is no doubt taking full advantage of that fact, but is also keen to invest his hard-earned money in some of the passions he entertains away from the ATP Tour. One of those is online gaming, and early on in his fledgling tennis career he had already made the move to invest in esports outfit ReKTGlobal, which runs several well-regarded esports teams like Rogue.
Fritz is somewhat unique in tennis, a sport where most players tend to stick to the endorsement deals that players have always found easy to come by, such as those offered by fashion labels, watch makers and diverse luxury goods.
Manny Pacquiao
Scoring that knockout blow in an esports tournament can be difficult, but perhaps not for Manny Pacquiao’s very own esports team, which is imaginatively called Team Pacquiao GG.
The Filipino icon’s team are more of a promotional outfit than a genuine competitive force, as they go about attempting to promote esports in their local area and beyond. No doubt Pacman will be able to help them with that, having plenty of clout in his native country, where people view him as something of a demi-god.
Mike Tyson
Another retired boxer who has been flexing his financial muscle in the esports sector is Mike Tyson. The baddest man on the planet has invested in Fade 2 Karma, an esports team that has traditionally competed in Hearthstone, but which now focuses on growing its reach on streaming platform Twitch.
Alex Rodriguez
A 14-time MLB All-Star, A-Rod has always been one of the biggest names in US sports, meaning that when he makes an investment move the business world sits up and takes notice. He took the plunge into esports back in 2019, investing in NRG Esports, which is based in California.
The team is particularly famous for its roster of top notch Fortnite, Rocket League and Apex Legends players, all of whom have racked up some top tournament victories. That success appears to mean that A-Rod’s involvement could be a home run success.
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