From Hollywood icons to music legends, an increasing number of celebrities are looking to turn their fame into financial success, particularly with strategic investments in sports. Much like the thrills of online slots, every move counts, especially with the sports industry's high stakes.

Of the A-list celebrities who love a challenge, which stars have become co-owners of the most valuable sports teams, from world-class soccer clubs to renowned NBA franchises?

To unveil the biggest celebrity stakeholders in sports, the online casino experts at Gambling Zone Canada examine the celebrities who have invested in the sports industry, highlighting the teams with the highest net worth and the most talked-about clubs.

LeBron James The Highest Celebrity Stakeholder

1) LeBron James

Team invested in: Liverpool FC

Celebrity stakeholder score: 8.89/10

LeBron James grabs the top spot as the most successful celebrity stakeholder, scoring 8.89 out of 10. The Los Angeles Lakers star sought to become an investor in a different field of sport, taking a chance on the European soccer team Liverpool FC in 2011, a month before the club finished sixth in the league.

Widely known as one of the greatest NBA players ever, LeBron James’ 2% stake cost around C$8.9 million (US$6.5M | £5.1M). This seems to have paid off, as Liverpool’s football club is now worth a whopping C$7.4 billion (US$5.4B | £4.2B).

As a minority shareholder of the popular Premier League club, LeBron continues reinforcing his involvement within the team, especially with the launch of the LFC x Lebron collection, which dropped in 2023.

2) Magic Johnson

Team invested in: Los Angeles Dodgers

Celebrity stakeholder score: 8.72/10

Magic Johnson follows behind in second place with a score of 8.72 out of 10. The former American professional basketballer and now businessman has ownership stakes in teams across four professional sports leagues, including a 2.3% stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers, making him no stranger to strategic investments in the industry.

Since Johnson first became an investor in the LA Dodgers in 2012, the MLB team is now the second most profitable franchise in the league, valued at approximately C$7.5 billion (US$5.5B | £4.3B). According to Forbes, the team has seen a 14% year-on-year increase in value.1 This partnership is also one of the most talked about, with 61,200 articles published about Johnson’s involvement in the team since the investment.

3) Venus & Serena Williams

Team invested in: Miami Dolphins

Celebrity stakeholder score: 8.38/10

The dynamic duo Venus and Serena Williams score 8.38 out of 10, putting them in the top three. Serena Williams, considered one of the greatest female tennis players of all time, and her sister Venus, also a renowned tennis player, purchased their stake in the Miami Dolphins in 2009.

The Dolphins are now considered one of the most valuable NFL franchises, with a net worth of C$7.8 billion (US$5.7B | £4.5B). This represents a 24% increase in value, the second-highest year-on-year growth among all other teams in 2023.2 This investment is still one of the most talked about today, with 9,410 Google searches over the last year and over 37,500 articles published since the partnership began.

Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney The Most Googled Celebrity Investors

1) Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney

Team invested in: Wrexham AFC

Google searches about partnership: 283,000

Amid the release of the third season of Welcome To Wrexham, it’s no surprise that Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney top the list by a landslide as the celebrity stakeholders with the most Google searches in the last year. Both stars had 283,000 searches related to their involvement in Wrexham.

These Hollywood A-listers turned club owners made headlines worldwide after purchasing the Welsh club for just C$3.5 million (US$2.5M | £2M) in 2020. Since then, Wrexham’s value has more than quadrupled to C$15.7 million (US$11M | £9M) after garnering major success in the media.

2) Tom Brady

Team invested in: Birmingham City

Google searches about partnership: 84,890

Despite being a more recent investment, the popular NFL quarterback Tom Brady announced his investment to EFL League One’s Birmingham City FC in 2023. The seven-time Super Bowl champion and entrepreneur’s savvy investment attracted global attention, with just under 85,000 Google searches in one year.

Valued at an estimated C$67.3 million (US$49.0M | £38.6M), Birmingham City has hugely benefited from the involvement of the universally recognized legend who is said to be among the greatest players in NFL history. Now the Chairman of the team Advisory Board, the club’s announcement of Brady coming on board saw over half a millionlikes on Instagram.3

3) J.J. and Kealia Watt

Team invested in: Burnley FC

Google searches about partnership: 47,070

Inspired by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's success with Wrexham AFC, J.J. and Kealia Watt’s involvement in Burnley FC came at a time when several A-list celebrities and athletes sought to buy their way into British football.

The EFL Championship team is estimated to be worth C$368.3 million (US$268M | £211.1M). As minority stakeholders, J.J. and Kealia received over 47,000 Google searches from fans looking to follow their journey as investors.

Lebron’s Liverpool Investment The Most Talked About Celeb Partnership

1) LeBron James

Team invested in: Liverpool FC

Number of articles about partnership: 180,000

Since it was first published that Lebron James became a minority investor in Liverpool FC, this partnership has become the most talked about, with an estimated 180,000 articles written from the initial investment. This savvy partnership has proven to be highly profitable for the NBA star, especially with Liverpool now being the fourth-richest soccer team in the world.5

2) Will & Jada Pinkett Smith

Team invested in: Philadelphia 76ers

Number of articles about partnership: 130,000

Having been part owners of the Philadelphia 76ers since 2011, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have gained much attention for their investment in the major NBA team. With approximately over 130,000 articles about the Smiths’ partnership with the Sixers, the franchise has since increased in value to C$5.9 billion (US$4.3B | £3.4B), putting them in the top ten most valuable NBA teams in the world after a 37% year on year growth.4

3) Patrick Mahomes

Team invested in: Kansas City Royals

Number of articles about partnership: 105,000

With 105,000 articles published since 2020, Patrick Mahomes's investment in the Kansas City Royals is the third most talked-about celebrity investment. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback became the youngest part-owner of a major professional sports franchise. The Royals have C$1.6 billion (US$1.2B | £945.1M), making the team an attractive investment option.

Miami Dolphins The most Valuable Sports Team Invested In By Celebrities

The Miami Dolphins is the most valuable sports team among celebrities, with investment from well-known stars such as Serena Williams and Fergie. With an impressive net worth of C$7.8 billion (US$5.7B | £4.5B), this franchise has the highest value compared to any teams or clubs with which other major stars have partnered.

Other notable sports teams with very high net worths include Liverpool FC, which has a value of C$7.4 billion (US$5.4B | £4.2B), and the Boston Red Sox, which has a value of C$6.2 billion (US$4.5B | £3.5B), both of which Lebron James is a minority stakeholder.

Methodology

We used various sources to create a list of celebrity stakeholders, including Reuters, and Biography. We then sourced the estimated net worth of each team the celebrities have invested in using the Forbes MLB, NBA, NFL, and Soccer Teams 2023-24 valuations list. For other sports leagues, we used sources such as Sportico (2022-23) and Transfermarkt (2023-24), accessed on 05/08/2024.

All figures were taken in the country’s original currency and converted to USD, CAD, and GBP using Google Finance on 08/08/2024.

Using Google Keyword Planner, we gathered data on the total number of global searches relating to each celebrity and the team they have invested in, looking at data from the past year (Jul 2023 - Jun 2024).

To find out the number of articles about each partnership, we used Google News to search for the total search results relating to each celebrity and the team they invested in on 07/07/2024. We looked at the year each celebrity made the investment.

We gave each celebrity a normalized score out of 10 for each factor before calculating the overall average score out of 10 to determine the celebrities with the best sports team investments.