NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo joins Chelsea women's team ownership group

Giannis Antetokounmpo officially became one of the owners of Chelsea Women (Instagram/@giannis_an34).

JAKARTA - NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo has announced that he has joined the Chelsea Women's ownership group, following in the footsteps of his friend and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

Ohanian, who last year bought a 10 percent stake in Chelsea Women - the reigning Women's Super League (WSL) champions - is also the husband of former tennis great Serena Williams.

Antetokounmpo - of Greek-Nigerian descent - becomes the latest major American star to invest in English football.

NFL legend Tom Brady joined Birmingham City as a minority owner in 2023, while actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac have taken Wrexham to the brink of the English League after buying the Welsh club in 2021.

Antetokounmpo is not the first NBA star to invest in a European football team. There is already the name of LeBron James who has been a minority owner of Liverpool since 2011 and Kevin Durant became a minority shareholder in Paris Saint-Germain in 2024.

The Milwaukee Bucks power forward announced his investment in Chelsea in a social media post on Saturday, February 7, 2026.

"I am proud and honored to partner with my friend @alexisohanian, joining the ownership group of @chelseafcw, a historic club built on a spirit of excellence and a culture of winning."

"Chelsea's history speaks for itself. I'm excited to be able to contribute to the future by supporting the growth and sustainable impact in women's sports. It's about ambition, legacy, and pushing the game to a higher level. Forward Chels!" he said.

Responding to Antetokounmpo's post on X, Ohanian replied with a photo of a much younger Antetokounmpo visiting the Stamford Bridge home dressing room a few years ago.

"Welcome back, my friend!" wrote Ohanian in response to Antetokounmpo's post.

Chelsea have won six WSL titles in a row, but will hand over their crown to Manchester City. They are 12 points behind the league leaders with eight games left in the season.

Meanwhile, on Friday, February 6, 2026, local time, the west London club announced that head coach Sonia Bompastor had extended her contract with the club until 2030.