PARIS, France — Suns star Kevin Durant went to France with the main mission of winning his record fourth gold medal during the Summer Olympics in Paris. It turns out he had a side mission, as well, as Durant is now reportedly a minority owner of one of the top soccer clubs in France, Paris-St. Germain, according to The Athletic's Peter Rutzler and Shams Charania.
Durant visited PSG's training facility, Campus Paris-St. Germain, in Poissy, France, on August 5, the day before the US defeated Brazil in the quarterfinals of the Olympic men's basketball tournament. It appears that he was not only there to see the facility, meet with the club's president and meet players from the men's, women's and academy teams. He was actually there to invest in the club.
Rutzler and Charania report that Durant's investment firm, called Boardroom Sports Holdings, LLC, bought shares through Arctos Sports Partners, an American private investment firm, that purchased 12.5% of PSG in 2023.
PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi said it was an honor to have Durant at the team's facility last week.
"Kevin is an inspirational athlete, investor, and universal role model, both on and off the court," Al-Khelaïfi said in an article on PSG's website. "We are extremely proud that he’s becoming closer to the PSG family and shares our same values and vision. We look forward to working closely with Kevin and Boardroom to bring the best of sports and entertainment to fans around the world."
The club has not yet officially announced Durant's investment, but the news was posted on the X (formerly known as Twitter) account for Boardroom Sports Holdings.
This is not the first time Durant has been connected to PSG. He visited the club at their home stadium, Parc des Princes, in September 2015.
Durant follows in the footsteps of other American athletes and celebrities who have invested in European soccer clubs.
Former Arizona Cardinal J.J. Watt and his wife Kealia are minority owners of Burnley FC in England.
Former New England Patriot and Tampa Bay Buccaneer Tom Brady is a minority owner of Birmingham City FC in England.
Former Phoenix Suns Steve Nash and Steve Kerr are minority owners of RCD Mallorca in Spain.
Actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are the owners of Wrexham FC in Wales.
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